Family Reunion
by charli911
Summary: C-SET AU-Story #4: Chris gets a visitor with connections to his past. Who is she? And just what does she want with Chris?
1. Chapter 1

**_FAMILY REUNION_**

BY CHARLI911 & LARABEELADY

Disclaimer: Thanks to Trilogy Entertainment, The Mirisch Group, MGM Worldwide, CBS, TNN and Hallmark Channel for bringing this wonderful show to us. And thanks to those seven wonderful actors for bringing their characters to life.

Thanks Rowan for the beta when we originally wrote this story all those years ago and for all the assistance you gave us in completing this story. Your help was immeasurable.

This is Story #4 in our C-SET AU (if you don't count the 'missing scene' _Movin' On _and the one-shot,_ A Little Christmas Mischief, _which could basically fall anywhere in the AU's timeline_. _

In order the C-SET Universe so far is:

#1—Assembly the Team; Movin' On is a missing scene for this story.

#2—Vengeance is Mine

#3—Jule in the Ruff

**_Originally archived at Lady Angels_**

**_A/N: _**And yes, this AU does bear some resemblance to High Mountain Rangers. But the Hawkes boys won't appear in these stories. We have separate stories for them!

/

**_CHAPTER ONE _**

She sat at a table near the window of the diner, sipping a glass of iced tea and watching the building across the street. That's where he worked, she'd discovered just yesterday. After several months of searching, she'd finally found him. Her hand shook slightly as she lowered the glass back to the table. Taking a deep breath, she patted her lips with a paper napkin.

"Have you decided what you want, hon?" The voice startled her since her focus had been outside the window. She looked up at the waitress.

"Um, yeah, a grilled cheese on wheat and the salad with ranch dressing please," she replied softly.

"Do you want fries or rice with the sandwich?"

"Rice, please."

"Okay, hon. Should just be a couple of minutes. I'll bring you a refill on the tea."

The girl nodded and turned her attention back to the building across the street. She driven almost two thousand miles to meet the man and now wasn't sure how to approach him. As she waited for her meal, she opened up the large envelope she'd carried in with her. Pulling out the papers, she spread them out across the table.

Her dark hair fell into her face as she leaned over to read the papers for what seemed like the hundredth time since she arrived in town. After lunch, she planned to return to her motel room and call her father, let him know she'd arrived safely. It was because of him that she'd been able to locate the man she'd been searching for.

She didn't know too much about him. She knew his name of course and had been able to track down a date of birth. And she had some information about his time in the military. And she knew he was some kind of cop. But most of what she knew of him she'd read in her mother's journals. Thinking of her mom brought fresh tears to her eyes.

Only dead for a little over six months, her mom's passing still brought grief that was overwhelming at times. Especially now, so far from home. It had been her father's idea to try and find the man. Over the years, she had expressed an occasional interest in meeting him, a curiosity that usually passed quickly in the day-to-day happenings in her life. On holidays and birthdays, she felt it most noticeably. But her life had been a happy one, so the desire wasn't oppressive.

But now she was here, in the town where he lived and worked, and she wondered what he was like. She wondered if he'd changed from the man she'd read about in her mother's journals. She wondered if he'd welcome her into his life after so many years.

She looked down at the papers and briefly closed her eyes, praying that this wasn't the biggest mistake of her young life. She looked out the window again, at the mountains and the trees. It was so different here from what she was used to. She'd been raised in the suburbs. The closest she'd ever gotten to a mountain was when she went skiing on a high school trip. It was beautiful here and she thought it would be a nice place to be for a while. But it was far from the familiar. No shopping malls, no fast food on every corner.

Her friends were back home. Her father was back home. She smiled when she thought of him. He was the most wonderful man she knew. He'd been her father since she was seven, the year he'd married her mom.

The waitress returned with her food, giving her a small smile as she set the plate down. The girl gathered up her papers and began stuffing them back into the envelope, dropping some onto the floor in her rush.

The waitress stooped down to pick them up, glancing at them as she handed them back. The name on the pages was familiar. She looked up at the girl, who grabbed the pages back from her and stuffed them into the envelope.

They didn't say anything to each other for several long seconds. "Is that why you're here, hon? Looking for him?"

Staring out the window again to the building across the street, she bit her bottom lip. "Yes," she replied softly.

"Well, then, you've come to the right place," the waitress said with a smile. "He drives that shiny truck parked across the street. And he and his friends come in here a lot to eat." She patted the girl on the shoulder and walked away.

The girl's quiet "thank you" followed her back to the counter. The girl picked up her sandwich and took a bite, her thoughts once again drifting back to her mom and the things she'd read in her journals.

/

"Hey, Vin, when is Chris coming back?" Buck Wilmington yelled across the room.

"Saturday, Buck, like I told you the last two dozen times ya asked me." Vin Tanner rolled his eyes, causing Casey Wells to laugh. Chris Larabee, the leader of their team, was in Washington, D.C., giving the powers-that-be a run down on how the team was progressing. Since this team was a brand new concept, they were watching it closely and funding for the next fiscal year depended on the report Chris gave them and the documentation he provided them about their cases.

Larabee hated dealing with bureaucrats and he'd been at it for over a week. He called every day to the office to check on current cases, and each time Vin spoke with him he could feel the tension had gotten worse. Their leader was due to return in two days and Vin knew he'd be in an awful mood.

He'd convinced the others not to bother Larabee over the weekend, knowing his friend would want some peace and quiet. He planned to give the man some space himself, which wouldn't be easy, seeing as how they shared a house. He thought about just bunking in with Buck and JD Dunne for a couple of days, but since the weather was supposed to be nice, he's decided to just camp out overnight in the forest surrounding Chris' ranch.

Chris had invited Vin to move into his house when Vin's cabin in the mountains had been burned to the ground by an escaped con with a grudge against the ex-bounty hunter. Tanner was grateful for his new home and gave his roommate the solitude he needed, whenever he needed it. And Chris returned the favor when necessary. The two men had become close friends soon after meeting each other.

Chris appreciated Tanner's quiet and unobtrusive support. And Vin relished the friendship and strength he received from the older man. They had become the family each had lost.

At the end of the day, Vin followed his friends and co-workers out of the office. They called out 'goodbyes' and 'see you tomorrows' and climbed into their vehicles, driving away in different directions.

Tanner pulled into the long drive in front of the log house. When he'd first come to live here, he'd felt at home almost immediately. He didn't know if it was because of Chris or just because the house was set in the woods away from traffic and a crowd of people. He was used to living a solitary life miles from the nearest neighbor and he welcomed the tranquility here.

As he exited the truck he breathed in deeply. The pine scent surrounded him and relaxed him. The next day was Friday. He'd be picking Chris up at the Sacramento airport early on Saturday morning and then he'd pack up his horse and hit the hills. He found that he was looking forward to getting out into the woods again.

His hearing picked up the sound of a car start up the long drive, then stop. He caught a glimpse of blue metal through the trees, but the car never came all the way up to the house. He figured it was just someone who got lost and was able to turn around at the only wide spot in the road. Shrugging his shoulders, he walked into the house.

/

She couldn't do it. She'd gotten almost all the way to his house and then found she couldn't drive the rest of the way. She'd quickly turned around and drove back to her hotel and called her father, sobbing, telling him that she couldn't go through with it. He calmed her down and let her explain what had happened.

"Now, honey, you knew it would be tough. But you have the strength to go through with this. Just like your mom. Remember everything she went through in her life."

"I know, Daddy. But I'm scared. What if he slams the door in my face?"

"If he is anything like the man your mother knew and loved, he won't do that. He may not welcome you with open arms, not right away, but once he gets to know you he won't be able to keep from loving you."

"Thanks, Daddy."

"You're welcome, baby. Now you get a goodnight's sleep and try again tomorrow. I wish I could be there with you, honey."

"I have to do this alone."

"I understand. You call me, anytime, if you need to talk. And tell him to call me, too, if he has any questions that you can't answer."

"I will. Talk to you tomorrow, Daddy. I love you."

"I love you too, baby. Goodnight."

She hung up the phone and lay back on the bed, staring at the ceiling. "Tomorrow," she whispered. "I'll talk to him tomorrow."

/

Vin was up early to feed the horses, beating the rising sun. He wanted to get an early start on the paperwork to assure that everything was done before the boss came back. The less hassles Larabee had when he got to work Monday morning, the happier everyone would be.

He heard a car drive up as he left the barn. Rubbing his hands together to rid them of any dirt, he walked around to the front of the house. Stepping onto the porch, he saw a girl about sixteen or seventeen years old, standing in front of the door, her hand poised and ready to knock. As he watched, she put her hand back to her side and started to turn away. She stopped, shook her head and turned back to the door, once again ready to knock. Once again she didn't.

"If you don't knock, I won't know you're here," he said quietly. A startled gasp proceeded her fast turn to face him, a look of fright in her eyes. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare ya." He smiled and walked closer to her.

"Uh, I, uh…"

"Good morning. I know you can't be the Avon lady, cuz nobody here buys the stuff and we're a bit off the normal path for them. And you're a bit too old to be selling Girl Scout cookies." He looked over and noticed the car she'd driven up in, the same metallic blue that he'd spotted through the trees the night before. "What brings you all the way out here?"

"I was…ah…I was looking for you." Her voice was quiet and nervous. She was a beautiful girl, with long auburn hair and light green eyes.

"Well, you found me. What can I do for ya?"

"I wanted to meet you. My mom told me so much about you and I read her journals, and dad, my stepdad, told me it would be okay to find you, and he helped me look and then we found you and I drove out here and I've been trying to get the nerve to walk up to you for two days and finally I just had to come out and do it! And, oh damn it, this isn't the way I wanted it to be!"

He was amazed. She'd said all of that in one breath. He started to chuckle and she looked up at him, angry at first that he would laugh at her. Then she saw the humor of it too and started to laugh with him. It eased a little of the tension, although she still felt nervous and awkward.

"Well, since you've driven all the way out here…twice…you may as well come in and tell me what you came to see me for." She looked up at him, only then realizing that he must know that she'd driven out the night before. She blushed and looked at her feet, nervously tucking a few stray hairs behind her ear.

He opened the front door and guided her in. "Oh, wait! I forgot the papers!" she cried and ran back to her car. She opened the door and grabbed her purse and the large envelope from the front seat. Straightening back up, she closed the door. Taking a deep breath, she turned back and followed him into the house.

/

Vin got them each something to drink and then settled onto the sofa. She sat down in a chair across from him, a large coffee table between them. She set the envelope and her purse down on the table.

"My name is Danielle McCarter. I drove all the way out here from Ohio to find you."

"Okay. So why would Danielle-McCarter-from-Ohio be looking for me?"

"Do you remember a woman named Amy Flannery?"

Vin thought for a moment then shook his head. "Can't say that I do? Who is she?"

Danielle was surprised. He didn't remember her mother?! How could he have forgotten her? Her mom's journals had made it sound like the love-affair to end all love-affairs!

"I can't believe you don't remember her!"

"Where was I supposed to have met this Amy person?"

"You only dated her for two years in high school!" She was angry now. How does someone forget a person they spent so much time with for two years? Mom had said they almost got married! She got up and started pacing back and forth.

"So, I knew her in Texas then?"

"Texas? No, not Texas! My mom was never in Texas! You went to high school together in Indiana!"

"No, darlin', I didn't. I've never been east of the Mississippi, except when I was working." Then it hit him. Oh, lord. "Danielle, you said you came looking for me. Specifically?"

"Well of course."

"I think maybe you got the wrong man, here. What's the name of the person you're looking for?"

Danielle stopped. Could she have gotten it wrong? Had all her research been wrong?

"Danielle, are you still with me here?"

She snapped her head up. "Uh, yeah, I'm sorry. I thought…"

"Danielle, who is it that you're looking for?" he asked softly.

She dropped into the chair and reached for the envelope. She clutched it and looked up at him. "What's your name?"

"Vin Tanner."

"Oh, god! I'm so sorry! I thought you were…" She jumped up and ran toward the door, but was stopped when he grabbed her arm. "Let go of me!" she yelled.

He let go. "Calm down, Danielle. I think I understand what happened here. If you just sit back down, I think maybe I can help you."

She was scared now. She was in a stranger's house, in the middle of nowhere. Her eyes darted around, looking for a phone, just in case she needed to call for help. She edged toward the door, nervously. But then she noticed the look of concern in his eyes and she relaxed just a bit.

"Come sit back down and tell me your story," he offered. He moved away from her, giving her the opportunity to leave if she wanted. That helped her relax a bit more.

She hesitated, but then nodded and walked back to the chair, handing him the envelope as she passed him. He opened it up and pulled out the sheets as he took his place back on the sofa. Reading through the material, he nodded his head.

"I think I see where the misunderstanding happened," he said. "Danielle, the man you're looking for does live here, but he's not in town right now."

"The lady at the diner pointed out his truck to me and I saw you leave…"

"And you just assumed I was Chris," he nodded. "I take it you don't have any pictures of him."

"No. Mom said that her father destroyed all the pictures she had of Chris after he left for college. When granddad found out Mom was pregnant, he sent her away. He wanted her to give me up for adoption, but she refused and Grandma made him see the light."

Vin laughed at that then got serious. "That would have been about what, eighteen years ago? I was about eleven years old then."

She blushed again. Now that she took a good look at him, she could see that this man was much too young to be the man she was looking for. Her hopes had blinded her to that fact. But he knew Chris Larabee. Maybe he could tell her about him. Maybe she could get some idea about how he'd feel about her.

"Why are you looking for Chris, if you don't mind my asking?"

"I…I…he's my father," she said quietly.

He nodded and wondered why the idea didn't surprise him. But before he could say more the phone rang, interrupting his thoughts. Vin got up and walked over to the kitchen.

"Hello."

_"Hey, Tanner. Glad I caught you before you left."_

"Hey, Chris," he said, glancing at Danielle.

_"Look, I need a favor. I need the Dempsey file faxed here in the next hour. So when you get into the office, can you do that first thing?"_

"Sure. I'll have Casey do it," he said with a smile.

_"Ah, delegating authority. I see I've trained you right."_

"Yep. I'll give Casey a call. I'm gonna be a little delayed getting in this morning."

_"Something wrong? You're not sick are ya? Problem with one of the horses?"_

"No, none of the above. I just got an early morning visitor…" his voice trailed off as he saw Danielle vigorously shaking her head.

_"Are you watching the deer again, Vin? I told you, you can't use that as an excuse to be late to work."_

Vin chuckled. "No, a lady friend came to visit." He winked at Danielle, who sighed in relief and shook her head at his remark. She was beginning to like this man.

_"The deer excuse is better, Tanner. I think you've been spending too much time around Buck. He doesn't even use that excuse anymore."_

"Don't worry, pard, I won't be that late. Just some things I need to discuss with her."

_"Someone I know?"_

"Not yet, but I imagine you'll meet her eventually. I think you'll like her."

_"Look, Vin, I gotta go. Make sure Casey gets that file sent. Use the same fax number I gave you earlier. I'll see you tomorrow."_

"Okay, Cowboy, tomorrow. And don't worry, you'll get the file." After hanging up with Chris, Vin called Casey at home and asked if she would mind going in early to fax the file to Larabee and told her to let the others know he'd be a little late. He hung up then walked over to the fridge.

"Hey, Danielle, are you hungry?" he called out to the girl in the other room. "I haven't had breakfast yet. I could rustle up some eggs and bacon."

"That would be great!" she said as she joined him in the kitchen. "I was too nervous to eat this morning before I came out here. And you can call me Dani."

"Okay, Dani, have a seat then and I'll get something started. Then I need to shower and get into work."

"Why don't I start the food while you shower? I really don't want to make you late for work."

"Well, okay, if you're sure you don't mind. I won't be long." He showed her where the skillet was and headed down the hall to his room.

Over their meal, Vin told her how he'd come to live with Chris and about the job they did. He talked a little about the men they worked with. She asked a lot of questions about Chris, but Vin told her that any personal questions would have to be answered by Chris himself.

She told him about her mom and stepdad, showing him pictures of her growing up. It seemed like a happy family. She noticed a sad look on his face when he flipped through the pictures.

"What's the matter, Vin?"

"Hmmmm?"

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. It looks like you've had a great life."

"Yeah, I did. I still do, even though Mom's gone now." She was staring at a picture of her mom taken about a year before she died. She felt the tears well up in her eyes again. A hand on her arm brought her back to the present.

"You okay, kiddo?"

"Yeah. It's still hard sometimes."

Vin nodded. "How long has she been gone?"

"Six months. She was killed in a car accident. I miss her so much."

"I don't remember much about my Ma. I was only five when she died. She'd been sick for a while. A lot of the memories I have of her are from when she was sick in bed and couldn't do things with me."

"What about your dad?" she asked, wiping the tears from her face.

He hesitated a moment. "I never knew him."

"I'm so sorry. I'm glad I have my dad now, my stepdad," she corrected.

"He's your dad, darlin', he's the one that raised ya."

"Yeah," she said with a smile. "He's pretty cool. Vin…how do you think my father…Chris…will react?"

"I don't know. I think I know Chris well enough to know he won't just kick ya out. Can I ask a personal question, Danielle?"

"Sure, I guess."

"Does Chris know about you? I mean, did your Ma ever tell him she was pregnant?"

She shook her head. "No. She told me that her father...well…granddad lied to her, told her Chris had been killed then sent her away. By the time she found out he was still alive, he was in the Navy and she didn't want to burden him with a child. Then later, she found out he was married and had a son. She didn't want to mess things up for him. I think she always loved him, wanted him to be happy. And then she met Michael, my Dad. They really loved each other and she told me she was glad that things had worked out like they did. She regretted that I never got the chance to meet my biological father, but she never kept it from me, never lied to me about him. And Daddy, well, he always told me that if I ever wanted to find him, he'd help me."

"Sounds like a good man."

"He's the best." She smiled wistfully and pulled out her favorite picture of her and her stepfather together and handed it to Vin.

He looked at it for several moments then handed it back. "Danielle…why are you looking for Chris now? I'm curious. You don't have to answer if it's too personal. But it's something he'll want to know."

Vin usually wasn't so personal and nosy about other people's business, but he didn't want to see his friend hurt. He knew Chris was still not completely over the death of his wife and son—probably never truly would be. And he wanted to be sure this young woman wasn't trying to find him only to hurt him.

"I…Daddy…He's sick. Oh, he hasn't told me himself, but he's been going to see the doctor a lot and he's lost a lot of weight since my mom died. At first I thought it was just because he missed her, ya know. But then I started noticing him taking more and more pills. And I checked them out on the internet, to see what they were for. All of them are used during cancer treatments or for pain."

"I'm sorry." He squeezed her arm again.

She smiled at him. "I think that's why he was so encouraging when I started talking again about finding Chris Larabee. He doesn't want to leave me alone. He wants me to have family to be with." Her smile faded.

"I'd like to meet him someday. He sounds like a wonderful man, to be able to put his own feelings aside like that and help you search for your father. You're a very lucky girl." Vin stood and walked over to the sink, setting their dirty dishes in it and running some water in it. He quickly washed, while Dani dried, stacking the now clean dishes back in the cupboards where they belonged.

"Well, I need to get to work. Do you have some place to stay?"

"Yeah. I have a room in town."

"I'd offer to let you stay here, but…"

"No, that's okay. I don't want to push Chris into anything. I'd rather meet him and be able to leave easily if things …don't work out."

Vin agreed with a nod. "Awright. Why don't you leave me a phone number? I'll be picking Chris up at the airport in the morning. He's been in D.C. talking to politicians, so he won't be in the best mood when he gets back. He gets cranky dealing with the paperwork involved in our job. After he gets a chance to relax and unwind a bit, I'll give him your number, but it'll be up to him if he calls you or not. I'll let you tell him who you are."

"Okay," she said, writing down a number. "I'm in room 312. I'll stay close to the phone tomorrow."

He put the number in his wallet and they walked outside. Vin climbed into Chris' truck, which he'd been driving while his friend was out of town, and drove down the long drive, followed by Danielle. His thoughts strayed to his friend. He didn't know how Chris would react to finding out he had a teenage daughter. He only hoped that the girl didn't get hurt. He also hoped Chris didn't get hurt.

/


	2. Chapter 2

**_CHAPTER TWO _**

"Damn, it's good to be home!" Larabee said as he wearily dropped onto the sofa and gazed out at the mountains. Vin picked up the suitcases that Chris had dropped just inside the door and carried them upstairs to deposit them on Chris' bed before heading back downstairs. He walked into the kitchen and grabbed two beers before joining his friend in the living room, handing one of the bottles to Larabee.

"Thanks, Vin," Chris said, downing half the bottle in one swallow. He pressed the cold bottle against his forehead hoping to dispel the last of the headache he'd had for most of the week. It had slowly diminished the closer he got to home. Vin opened up the sliding glass door that led out to the deck, allowing the breeze to flow into the room. Chris sighed as the contentment settled in around him. The last of his headache disappeared on the breeze.

"Tough week, Cowboy?" Vin asked with a smile.

"God, I hate politicians. I don't know why Travis couldn't have handled all that by himself."

"That's why you get paid the big bucks, partner."

"Humph. Next time I'll let Ezra do it. He's used to bullshittin' with the best of them."

"Naw. He'd prob'ly confuse them."

Larabee laughed at the thought of Ezra Standish, with his fancy words and fancier attire, sitting in front of a budget committee, trying to explain to the higher-ups why they should up their funding for the next year. The more he thought about it, the better he liked the idea. Yep, next year, Standish gets to go. Chris would rather stay here and face the entire population of Folsom Prison on the loose.

Chris watched as his friend finished his beer and walked outside. Vin settled on the flat top rail of the porch, leaning back against one of the vertical logs that held up the roof of the overhang. He closed his eyes and let the wind brush his face and sweep through his long hair.

_He belongs here_, Larabee thought, _in these mountains, surrounded by the trees and the wildlife._ Whenever Chris thought about the circumstances that brought the younger man to be living with him, he was grateful that it was only the cabin that burned. They'd come close to losing Vin in that fire too. He stood up and took his and Vin's empty bottles into the kitchen, dropping it into the recycle bin. Grabbing two more, he followed his friend outside.

"You gonna tell me what's wrong, Cowboy?" he asked, handing over one of the beers.

Vin smiled his thanks, glancing at his friend. "What makes you think anything's wrong?" A raised eyebrow was his only answer. "Nothing's wrong, Chris. Just got some things on my mind."

"I don't mind listening, if you'd like to share."

"You just got home. No need to go into it now. I'm gonna head up into the hills tonight, give ya some time to yourself to enjoy the peace and quiet."

"I appreciate the thought, but it's not necessary. I'd rather you talk to me."

"Later."

"Will anything change if you wait until later to tell me?"

Vin looked at his friend, twisting the lid off his bottle, He glanced back at the mountains and took a sip, more to gather his thoughts than out of any real thirst.

Chris didn't push. He knew Vin would tell him if it was something he felt Chris needed to know or could help him with. Larabee settled onto the rail next to his friend, who had once again closed his eyes to better enjoy the breeze. Neither man said a word for several minutes. There was no need. Both knew that eventually Vin would tell Chris everything the man wanted to know.

When Vin finally spoke several minutes later, his voice was soft. "Do you remember a girl named Amy Flannery?"

"Amy Flannery?" Chris smiled wistfully. "I haven't heard that name in years. How the hell do you know about her?"

"I met a relative of hers yesterday." Vin looked up from the bottle in his hands, where his fingers worried at the paper label.

"Yesterday? You mean the visitor you said you had?"

"Yeah. And actually she came looking for you."

Chris shook his head. "I lost track of Amy after I left for college. Why would anybody in her family be looking for me now?"

"I think it would be best if she explained that to you."

"But you know, don't ya, Vin?" Chris stared hard at his friend. "Vin?"

A few moments of silence followed before looked away. He sighed. "Yeah."

He took a sip of beer but didn't elaborate.

"So, tell me."

Vin took another drink from his bottle of beer. "I'm sorry, Chris. I can't. It's not my place."

"Is this woman still in town? Do you have her number?"

"Yeah."

"Call her."

"It can wait 'til tomorrow. You just got home."

"I don't want to wait. Call her."

"Chris..."

"Call her, Vin. Please."

Vin sighed. "Alright. I'll tell her to come in the morning. That way you can get a good night's sleep."

"Today, Vin. Ask her to come out today."

Tanner looked up. Chris words sounded almost like a plea. His eyes bored into Vin's. His friend just nodded and headed for the phone.

/

She walked into the room behind Tanner, nervously biting her lower lip, her eyes locked on Chris Larabee.

"Chris, this is Danielle McCarter. Dani this is…this is Chris Larabee." After introducing the two, Vin turned to leave the room. He was stopped by both Danielle's hand on his arm and her soft 'don't go'.

He glanced at Chris, who nodded, then followed them into the living room area. Dani clutched the envelope full of documents to her chest as she sat down in the chair.

Neither she nor Chris said anything, just continued to stare at each other. Vin shook his head. She certainly is her father's daughter, he thought.

"Dani, I mentioned to Chris that you were related to Amy Flannery, but I think it's up to you to tell him the particulars."

She was staring at Chris like he was going to disappear before her eyes. Dazed, never taking her eyes from Chris' face, she reached out with both hands holding the envelope, but didn't say anything. Confused, Larabee reached for the envelope, but her fingers were holding on so tight that he couldn't get her to release it. She continued to stare at him.

"Dani. Danielle, you can let go," Vin said. When she didn't, Tanner moved over next to her and crouched down beside her. He shook his head at Chris, causing the older man to let go of the envelope. Vin reached up and pulled Danielle's hands back down, laying the envelope into her lap.

"Dani, would you like me to explain this to Chris or do you just want a few minutes to pull yourself together?" When she didn't reply, he gently placed his hand on her cheek and forced her to look at him. She blinked several times as if wakening from a trance. She stared at Vin for a couple seconds, than frantically looked around the room, relaxing when she realized Chris was still in the room.

"What?" she asked, facing Vin again.

"I think you're in shock here, darlin'," he told her with a small smile. "Do you think you're ready for this? I can explain it if you want."

"No, please, I'm okay. I just…it is a shock, after all this time."

"I understand. But he won't bite, I promise. Will ya, Chris?"

Larabee was confused. He had been expecting a young woman, but this was just a girl, probably not even old enough to vote, much less drink. How had she known Amy? He had no doubt that they were related. The girl had Amy's coloring and hair. And she had Amy's shy smile, which she had just turned on him.

"Mr. Larabee…"

"Call me Chris."

"Okay." She took a deep breath and stole another glance toward Vin. At his encouraging nod and wink, she plunged ahead. "I know we've never met, but I think you knew my mother, Amy Flannery."

"Yes, I knew her. I dated her in high school. She was my first love." He smiled in remembered affection.

Chris was surprised at the bright smile that flew across Danielle's face. So this was Amy's daughter. Yes, he could see it. She had her mother's nervous habit of sweeping her hair behind her ear. Vin had moved away, settling into a chair that he'd pulled up next to Dani's.

"Mr. Larabee…Chris…my mom told me a lot about you. She kept journals…"

"I remember. She was always writing in those books. I always figured she'd end up being an author."

"She was, actually. She wrote children's stories."

He laughed softly. "I'm not surprised. She combined her two favorite things…kids and writing."

Dani nodded, smiling as she remembered her mom reading some of the stories she'd penned. She reached into the envelope and pulled out a photo of her mom from high school and handed it to Chris.

He looked at the photo and couldn't stop the smile that spread. He remembered the first day he met her. He'd been walking out of class and looking behind him as he talked to a friend. The next thing he knew he was flat on his back on the floor with the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen lying across his chest. She looked down at him, her long dark hair falling into her face. She smiled at him and said, "I've always wanted to meet a man who would fall head over heels for me". He'd laughed while they awkwardly got up off the floor. And the rest was history.

"Chris? Chris, man, you're a million miles away. C'mon, pard." Larabee heard Vin's voice and saw a hand waving in front of his face.

"Sorry," he said apologetically. "It's just, when I saw this photo, it took me back to the first day I met Amy."

"You mean when you swept her off her feet?" Danielle asked with a giggle.

He smiled. "More like 'knocked' her off her feet. I was amazed she agreed to date me after she found out what a klutz I was."

"She wrote in her journal that it was part of your charm."

A snort caused both to glare at Tanner, who raised his hands in surrender. "Dani, would you like something to drink?"

"Sure, soda or iced tea if you have it."

"Iced tea it is. Chris?"

"Sounds good. Iced tea for me too."

"Be right back." Tanner walked out of the room. Now that the initial shock had worn off, he hoped Danielle would be able to talk with Chris and tell him why she was in town looking for him. He took his time in the kitchen, giving the two a chance to get acquainted. Finally, he carried three glasses and a pitcher full of tea back into the room.

"…and she died the next morning."

"Oh, Danielle, I am so sorry," Chris said as he stared again at the picture of the girl he had once hoped to marry. "It's tough to lose someone so quickly like that. I'm glad you got the chance to say goodbye."

Smiling sadly, she cleared her throat. Vin handed her a glass and she sipped at the sweetened tea. Wetting her lips, she looked up again. Inhaling a deep breath, she briefly closed her eyes to steel herself as she got to the point of her visit.

"Chris…there was a reason mom told me about you, you know. Aside from the fact that she never forgot you." Chris looked up as Dani pulled a piece of paper from the envelope. She bit her bottom lip and stared at it, then looked back at him and handed it over.

He looked at her, then over at Vin, before glancing at the paper. Setting down his tea, he unfolded the page. He read it...twice. Confused, he read it a third time before looking back at her. He started to speak and found he couldn't. He grabbed the glass of tea again and gulped it down, trying to alleviate the dryness that was suddenly in his throat.

"Danielle…" He cleared his throat. "This...this is your birth certificate?" She nodded, her eyes wide and unblinking. "It says that your father…that I…that you…" He gasped, having trouble drawing enough air into his lungs.

"Chris, are you okay?" Vin asked quietly. He'd never seen his friend so frazzled.

Larabee's startled gaze moved toward Tanner as his friend moved to sit beside him on the sofa. Vin put a hand on his shoulder and gave a small squeeze. "Hey, Cowboy, talk to me here."

"Vin, she's my daughter," he murmured, his voice barely a whisper, the disbelief obvious.

"Yeah. How do you feel about that?" Vin asked, matching the soft voice. Dani watched the two men, holding her breath and close to tears. She was afraid of rejection from this man who had been so long out of her mother's life.

"My daughter. I never knew…I didn't know…" His eyes were full of pain as he turned to face Dani again. "I didn't know," he said pleadingly, needing to explain. Looking back at Vin, his eyes pleading with his friend to believe him. "Vin, she never told me." He looked at the paper again, his fingers running over the line that held the box for 'father's name'.

"I know, Chris. But you know now." Tanner's small smile didn't hide his concerned for both his friend and this young girl he'd only known a day. "Congratulations. It's a girl!" Chris' head snapped up, his eyes wide in disbelief.

"Father." he whispered. He felt like he been punched, the shock was so great. He glanced back down at the document, then looked into Vin's face again, not sure what he expected to see, but finding support and understanding.

Slowly, he turned his gaze back to Danielle. His daughter. His teenage daughter. His and Amy's daughter. Amy, who was dead now. And his daughter had come looking for him. "She never told me. Why didn't she tell me?" he asked of no one in particular.

"Her father sent her away, refused to let her contact you," Danielle explained.

"I came back. He said she'd decided to break it off with me. He said she'd met someone else. I tried to find her. None of her friends knew where she'd gone." Danielle smiled, glad to hear that he'd come looking for her mother.

"It never happened. In her journal, she wrote that her father sent her away when he found out she was pregnant with me…with your child. Later, he told her that you had died in an accident. She only found out years later that he'd lied to her."

Chris shook his head. "I loved her so much," he said. "It took me a long time to get over her leaving. It's why I joined the Navy. I couldn't bear to be without her." Chris stood up and walked over to the window, looking out at the mountains in the distance. "I got very angry with her, at times I almost hated her." He closed his eyes, remembering how he'd felt that day when her father had answered the door and told Chris that his love had moved on without him. He remembered the denial, then the anger and despair, as Amy's father convinced him that she had left him willingly.

"I knew something was wrong. None of her friends had talked to her in weeks. Her father said she'd found someone else and she didn't want to see me anymore. And her mom...every time I tried to talk to her mom, she would just start crying and tell me it was for the best and to let it be." He was silent for a long time, neither Vin nor Danielle willing to interrupt his memories just yet.

"They knew. They knew all along that she was pregnant with my child. And they didn't tell me! Damn it!" He flexed his fingers, curling and uncurling them, the urge to punch something strong in him. "I know her father didn't like me, thought his daughter could do better. But, to keep me from my daughter! How dare he! How could he do that? He had no right to do that!" Larabee slammed his hand against the wall.

Vin looked at Danielle for her reaction to Chris' outburst. She was nodding her head, like she agreed with him. He saw the tears in her eyes.

"Chris, calm down," Vin said, moving to stand behind him.

Larabee spun around, glaring at him, as if he was the cause of this new pain. "I don't want to calm down, Tanner! My God! I had another child, Vin. A child I never knew about. A daughter I never got the chance to hold as a baby! A daughter that Adam never got to know..." He turned away again, his eyes closed tight against the old, but still strong pain, of losing his only son.

"Chris, I can't say I understand what you're going through. I never had kids, you know that. But no matter what happened in the past, you got a chance now to get to know your daughter. And partner, I think you're scarin' her here."

Startled, having forgot that Dani was in the room, he looked her way. She had tears running down her face and she was biting her lips. Her fingers nervously pushed stray hairs behind her ears.

Larabee took a deep breath and briefly closed his eyes. When he opened them back up, he threw his friend a half smile. He walked back over and sat down on the sofa.

"I'm sorry, Dani. This just took me by surprise..."

"My grandfather was a mean, bitter man," Danielle said. "He always treated me badly because of the circumstances of my birth. And he always told me he didn't want me to 'end up like my mother'."

The angry retort never left Chris' mouth. Instead, he took a breath and reached out his hand, laying it over Danielle's arm.

"Honey, your mother, the woman I remember was a strong, individualistic, wonderful woman. If you 'end up' like her, I'd say that's a good thing." Chris smiled at her and she beamed right back at him. He moved his hand down to encircle her own and gently urged her to his side.

She stood and moved to sit next to Chris on the sofa. Her father wrapped an arm around her as she leaned in closer. Chris began talking quietly to her, telling her some of his favorite memories of her mother. As it became clear that Chris and Danielle would be okay, Vin left the room, heading out to the barn to bed down the horses for the night.

An hour later, he walked back into the house through the back door, hearing laughter from the living room. He nodded his head as he headed for the kitchen to start dinner.

/

"First thing in the morning then. We can saddle up the horses and go for a ride if you like."

"I haven't done any riding since I was little," Danielle replied.

"It's just like riding a bike. You don't forget." Chris was walking Danielle to her car. She wanted to get back to town while it was still light out, not wanting to drive the curving roads in the dark. "You can still spend the night, you know. We can go back down and get your things and bring them back here."

"I know. But I think I need some time to myself to think about everything that's happened. And we have all next week together."

"Alright," he said, slightly disappointed.

"I'll be here early. Oh, I need the phone number so I can give it to my Dad. He'll want to know how to reach me."

"Right here," Vin said, passing Chris a piece of paper. His friend looked up, a grateful look in his eyes. "See you tomorrow, darlin'. I'm gonna go finish the dishes."

"Vin, wait." She walked over to him and gave him a hug. "Thank you."

"For what? You did all the hard stuff," he said, returning the embrace.

"Just for being here. It was a lot easier with you here. I think getting the chance to talk to you first, well, it helped. Kinda like practice for the big game. And you were right, he doesn't bite."

"Well, I did fib there a bit. You should see him at work when he's got a burr under his saddle." She laughed at the glare Chris sent his way. She kissed Vin on the cheek and he blushed. Turning back to the houses, he left the two alone.

"I can't wait to get to know you better," Chris told her.

"Me too," she replied. "You know, I was so afraid you would slam the door in my face."

"Never. I am disappointed not to have met you sooner, though. I wish your mom had told me about you. I would have wanted to be in your life all along."

"That's why I left you those journals. They're the ones that deal mostly with that time in her life and later when she found out that you were alive. I hope it helps you understand why she did what she did."

He nodded. "You be sure to tell your dad that he's more than welcome to call anytime he wants to talk to you. Or to me. I'd really like to meet him, to thank him for taking such good care of you and your mom."

"Maybe we can arrange that." She took a deep breath and tried to stop the tears that started to fall.

"Hey, hey, hey. None of that now." Chris stepped toward her and wrapped her in a hug. "No more tears. It seems to me that it should be smiles all around."

"I don't think I'll be able to sleep tonight," she said, her voice muffled against his chest.

"I might find it hard myself." He pulled back a bit, so he could look into her face. "I'll keep the phone right next to my bed. So if you feel like talking you just call me up, no matter what time it is. And if you decide you want to stay here tonight after all, you call. I'll come get you. Okay, sweetheart?"

She nodded and wiped the moisture from her eyes. "I'll remember. Thank you."

"You best be going if you want to get back into town before it gets full dark. I'll see ya in the morning." He opened the door for her and she settled behind the wheel. As she started the car, he leaned into the open window and caressed her cheek. "Drive careful. Goodnight, angel."

"Night."

She put the car in gear and drove off down the drive. He stood outside watching until he could no longer see or hear the car, then walked back inside. Heading into the great room, he picked up the small box that Danielle had asked Vin to bring in from her car earlier. It contained half a dozen handwritten journals, each with a set of dates on the front indicating the time it covered.

He heard Vin still puttering around in the kitchen as he picked up the earliest one. He opened the cover and recognized the flowing penmanship. He'd seen that handwriting on hundreds of notes and letters she given him during their relatively short time together. It brought a smile to his face now. His reverie was interrupted by a quiet voice.

"Chris? I'm heading for bed. You need anything before I go?"

Larabee looked up at his closest friend, the smile still on his face. "No, I'm fine." His smile grew and he shook his head in disbelief. "I have a daughter, Vin."

Vin returned his smile. "Yeah. Helluva of kid too, from what I've seen."

"If so, then she takes after her mother. Amy Flannery was one of the strongest people I've ever met. These are Amy's journals," he said, lifting up the book he held in his hand. "I'm not sure it's right that I read them. These were her private thoughts."

Vin sat down in the chair across from his friend. "Chris, I think she would want you to read them, if it'll help you understand why she never told you about Dani. She had her reasons. And I imagine that it was because she didn't want to hurt ya or burden ya. These books are her thoughts and feelings. People don't lie when they're writin' down their private thoughts. This is what she truly felt. She's dead now, so she can't speak to you face to face. Let this be her way of explainin' to ya."

Still uncertain, Chris slowly flipped through the pages. "Maybe you're right. I'll think about it." He placed the book back into the box with the others, then picked up the box and headed for the stairs.

"Good night, Vin."

"See ya in the morning. I'll lock up."

Chris nodded and walked up the stairs. He turned when he reached the top and watched his friend and roommate check the doors. As Tanner turned off the lights and headed down the hallway, Chris spoke.

"Vin?"

"Yeah?" Vin answered, looking up.

"Thanks." It was the nature of their friendship that Vin didn't have to ask 'for what."

"Anytime, partner. Anytime."

/

Chris and Danielle spent the next day on horseback, returning just at sunset. They rode into the yard and were met by Tanner, who took the horses' reins. The pair went inside to shower and change, while Vin took care of their mounts. Later, over dinner Dani regaled the laconic sharpshooter with details of their day.

Chris sat back and watched her, one thing repeating over and over in his head. _This is my daughter, my daughter. My God, I have a daughter._ As if he could read Chris' mind, Vin looked over and nodded, smiling at the pensive expression on Larabee's face. Chris returned the smile, the disbelief still evident. He'd periodically shake his head as if trying to bring himself from a daydream. But every time he did, she was still there.

Later that evening, the trio sat in the living room, a fire in the fireplace to ward off the chill of the summer evening in the mountains. Danielle had pulled out some family albums, so that Chris would be able to see her as she was growing up. After viewing the last of the photos, Chris stood and walked over to the fireplace. He picked up a framed picture and returned to the sofa, handing the photo to Dani. Vin discreetly left the room, knowing this was something Chris needed to share only with his daughter.

"Who are they?" Dani asked.

"My wife and your half-brother. Sarah and Adam."

"Are you divorced?"

"No. They died about four years ago."

"Oh! Chris, I'm so sorry."

"It's okay. It's just that seeing all your pictures, well it brought back some memories." He took the framed photo back and lightly brushed his fingers over the faces of his wife and son. His eyes filled with unshed tears. "I still miss them," he whispered.

Dani didn't say anything. Just leaned her head against his shoulder. He wrapped his left arm around her shoulders and tucked her head up under his chin. "We've both lost people we love, Dani. I'm glad you decided to look for me. I wish I could have known you before now, but there's nothing we can do about that. I promise you, I will be in your life from now on."

She closed her eyes and let the tears fall. She grieved for her own mother and for the wife and son that Chris had lost. She'd never had the chance to known her brother and she was surprised at the loss she felt for two people she'd never met.

An hour later, Vin quietly crept down the hall. He grabbed the afghan from the shelf under the table behind the sofa. Walking back around, he draped it over the sleeping pair. Chris stirred slightly and opened his eyes. Seeing it was only Vin, he let them slide shut again, unconsciously tightening his hold slightly on the girl in his arms. Vin banked the fire and turned out the lights, then went back to his room, happy for his friend.

/


	3. Chapter 3

**_CHAPTER THREE_**

_Monday morning_

"Vin, where the hell is Chris?" Buck yelled, as soon as Tanner walked in the door. Tanner just shook his head.

"He's right behind me, Buck. He wants y'all in the conference room when he gets here. Can you round everybody up?" As Wilmington went to spread the word, Vin turned to Casey. "He'd like you there too, Casey. So can you put the calls into the answering machine for now?"

"Sure, Vin. I'll get a second pot of coffee made too."

"Thanks." Vin smiled at her and headed toward his own office. Two minutes later, coffee cup in hand, he headed for the conference room. Everyone was there except Chris, who came in right behind him carrying a box of Danish. He was followed by Dani, who carried a sack from a local bagel shop and a large cup of hot chocolate.

As the other men saw the girl walking behind Chris, they exchanged curious looks. Buck nudged JD. The girl was beautiful, but way too young for Buck. He liked the ladies, but he didn't rob cradles. He teased his friend, who was more the age of the young woman.

"Morning, boys," Chris said. "Casey."

"Morning, Chris. How was Washington?" Josiah asked, glancing at Danielle, thinking that maybe she had returned with him from the nation's capital.

"Don't ask. Next year, Ezra's going."

Standish raised an eyebrow at the remark. "I dare say, Mr. Larabee, I would relish the opportunity to discuss our financial budget with those pompous bureaucrats. Maybe then they would begin to comprehend the necessity for an expanded account for my expenses." Ezra brushed his sleeve and straightened his collar.

"Not likely, Ezra," Nathan stated. "They're more likely to cut the budget than add to it."

The others all grabbed coffee and their favorite bakery sweet from the box Chris had brought then settled into their normal chairs around the table. Vin grabbed one of the chairs that usually lined the wall and set it down close to Chris' at the head of the table. He winked at Dani and gestured for her to sit. She smiled at him and sat down then he settled into the chair on her other side.

"So, Chris, is this out newest team member?" Buck asked. "Decided to start them out a little younger. I thought you stopped recruiting from high schools after you brought JD on board."

The other chuckled when JD smacked Buck on the back of the head as he sat down next to Wilmington. Buck reached up and rubbed his head, sending a mock snarl JD's way.

"Okay, before you all get carried away, and in order to give Buck a chance to pull his foot out of his mouth, I think introductions are in order," Chris looked around the table, his gaze settling at each person in turn. "Gentlemen, and Casey, I'd like you to meet Danielle McCarter, better known as Dani. My daughter."

Liquid spewed across the table, courtesy of Buck Wilmington, who started coughing. JD started pounding on his back, in a misguided effort to help. The others showed differing expressions of shock, disbelief, amusement and happiness.

"You done, Buck?" Chris asked, amused, after the ladies' man calmed somewhat. He'd purposely waited until Buck had raised his cup to his mouth, just for laughs.

"Chris, did you say...daughter?!" The mustached man was still gasping for breath.

"That's what I said, Buck." Chris raised a hand to silence his team. "I know you all have a lot of questions. Let me just give you the short version. I met Dani Saturday night, for the first time. Her mother and I were high school sweethearts. I won't go into what happened to split us up; it's not relevant. And frankly, it's no one's business but Dani's and mine. Suffice it say that I didn't know about Dani until two days ago. But get to know her boys, because she'll be in my life from now on." It was obvious to everyone, from the smile on Chris' face, that this was a wonderful surprise.

"Well, Danielle, welcome to the family," Josiah's voice boomed into the room. "It's a motley crew, but a family none the less."

"Will you be living in Tahoe, Dani?" Nathan asked.

"No, not full time. My father…my other father, who raised me, lives in Ohio. I'll still be living with him while I finish high school. But I hope to come out a lot to visit." She turned and looked at Chris, who smiled and nodded in agreement.

The questions came rapid-fire after that, the others all wanting to get to know this young woman. "Where are you from in Ohio?" "Where do you go to school?" "How did you find Chris?" And questions about her trip out, concerns that she'd driven all that way alone.

When it looked like she was getting overwhelmed, Chris called a halt. She would be in town another week and Chris invited them all to the ranch the following weekend for a barbeque to get to know her better.

"I'll be taking most of the week off, to spend some time with my daughter," Chris explained to them. "I realize I haven't been here lately because of the meetings in D.C., so I'll catch up on paperwork today and tomorrow, but the rest of the week I'll be spending with Dani. Orrin Travis has been told and approved some vacation time for me. I'll keep in touch to be sure everything is running smoothly. Casey, what does your workload look like?" Chris asked.

"All caught up, Chris. Just waiting on those files from the FBI."

"Good. Dani would like to do a little shopping. She didn't realize how cold it could get here at night. She needs some warmer clothing." He reached for a bank envelope that Vin had given him earlier and handed it to Dani. "This should be enough to cover what you need to buy plus some extras," he said with a wink. "You two enjoy yourselves. But, Casey, be sure and be back by close of business, okay. My daughter and I have plans for dinner tonight." He smiled at Danielle. "And she'll need to get a good night's sleep since she and Vin have plans tomorrow."

"Sure, Chris. That okay with you, Dani?"

"I'd love it. I haven't really had the time to see much of the area. I only got here a few days ago."

"Maybe I can call Rain. She loves to shop and knows all the best places."

A groan from Nathan turned all eyes to him. His girlfriend was a notorious compulsive shopper. "Oh, God, please, Rain on a shopping trip?"

"It's not that bad, Nathan," Casey insisted with a laugh.

"Just don't let her go into a shoe store, please. I beg you, no more shoes!" The others laughed. "Casey, I will get down on my knees and beg if I have to. Just don't let her near any place that sells shoes." The medic clasped his hands together as if in prayer, pleading with the receptionist to agree.

"I'll do my best, Nathan, but you know she can sniff out those stores, especially if there's a sale going on." Everyone laughed, as that statement made Nathan groan again.

The laughter followed the two women out the door.

"So, Chris, old buddy, ol' pal," Buck said, as he moved to take the seat that Dani had vacated. He leaned back and crossed his arms across his chest. "Seems to me that there is a story here that needs tellin'."

Larabee resigned himself to having to explain. He'd known that Buck, of all the others, wouldn't let him get away with the short explanation he'd given earlier. They others settled back into their seats around the table. Chris glanced over at Vin, who just shrugged in response.

/

The next morning, Vin and Dani had done the tourist bit. When they'd all talked during dinner on Sunday night, Dani had mentioned how pretty the area was and how the surrounding forests and mountains reminded her of some of the old movies her father, Michael, watched all the time. Vin mentioned that the old television show Bonanza had been filmed in the area. Since the show was a favorite of Michael's, she was interested in seeing the Ponderosa Ranch.

The Ranch was an old-west-style tourist attraction, which included the actual ranch house that had been used for filming. Employees did mock gunfights in the street and you could get old time photos done, wearing period style costumes. She vowed to come back and have one taken with Chris. She even persuaded a reluctant Vin to help her in getting Chris to join her.

They spent the morning exploring the 'town' and buying souvenirs for all her friends. While they had hotdogs and sodas in the saloon, Vin told her about another 'saloon', the one he and the others frequented in Tahoe. He spoke so glowingly about his friend, Inez, that Dani couldn't wait to meet her. Vin agreed to invite her to the Sunday barbeque.

/

Wednesday morning, Chris was just dishing scrambled eggs onto a plate as Dani came in the room. "Morning, Angel. Hungry?"

"Famished. That smells great."

"Well, eat up. We have a busy day ahead of us today." He put the skillet in the sink and went to get the bacon from the counter. "Can you get the butter and jam from the fridge?" Dani nodded.

Vin walked in just then, having been taking care of the horses, part of his normal morning routine. "Morning, Dani."

"Morning, Vin. Want some coffee?" she asked.

"Yeah, thanks. Chris, I think that scratch that Menace got is okay. But you may wanna have the vet take a final look at it."

"Good. I'll let Ben know. I want to keep that horse healthy and around for a long time."

"How did you come up with a name like Menace for your horse, Chris?" Dani asked. Vin tried to contain his smirk, having already heard this story.

"Well," Chris said, "actually it was Buck's idea. I got the horse as a colt, and for some reason, he took an instant dislike to Buck."

"Maybe he thought Buck was out to steal his girlfriends with his 'animal magnetism'," Vin joked.

"Maybe," Chris laughed. "Anyway, he made the mistake of turning his back on the horse, who decided to take a bite out of Buck's rump. Buck comes storming into the house cursing, saying that the horse was nothing but a black menace and wasn't good for nothing except the glue factory. I was laughing so hard that I almost passed out. And I decided 'Black Menace' was a pretty good name. Over the years, it's just been shortened to 'Menace.'"

"And that horse _still_ don't like Buck," Vin said. "Every time Buck goes into the barn, Menace gets agitated. Drives Buck crazy that the horse likes everyone else, but Buck can't get near him." Dani giggled at the story, not noticing Chris' delight in hearing her laughter.

"So, where are you two off to today?" Vin asked his boss, breaking his train of thought.

"I thought, if it's okay with you, Dani, that we'd take a cruise around Lake Tahoe. They have a luncheon cruise that gives a great background on the Lake and takes a run into Emerald Bay and past Vikingsholm Castle."

Vin turned to the young woman. "You'll like that, Dani. The color changes in the bay are incredible. And Vikingsholm has a great story behind it."

"Sounds like fun. I've heard some stuff about Vikingsholm from Casey and Rain. I'd like to get a chance to see it for myself."

"Did you want to go into the castle, Dani?" Chris asked his daughter. "The cruise we're taking doesn't stop. But we can always take a private boat or we can drive around either before or after the cruise and walk down. Those are the only ways to get to the castle. The walk back up afterward is kind of steep. But we can take it slow."

"Yeah, that sounds like fun."

"Best to do it early," Vin warned. "That way, the climb back up can be done before the sun gets full overhead."

"So, Vikingsholm first, then the cruise?" Dani said to Chris.

"Sounds like a plan."

They finished breakfast and the three of them quickly handled the dishes. Chris and Dani headed to Chris' truck. Opening the door of his jeep, Vin paused. "You two have a good time today, while I'm slaving away at work," he teased.

Chris gave him a grin. "We will. Have fun."

"Yeah, right."

/

Thursday, the pair decided to have a lazy day just driving around. They went up to Virginia City, where Chris took her to see the famous Bucket of Blood Saloon. Then they spent the remainder of the day just driving around the lake. The scenic drive took them past many little shops where they stopped and prowled the stores. During one curvy part of the drive, where the road fell off steeply on both sides, Chris found out that his daughter was afraid of heights.

"Dani, do you want me to turn around and go back the other way?"

"No! No, I'll be okay if I just keep my eyes closed. Just...just tell me when we get to the end of this, okay?" she said breathlessly.

"Okay. It'll take maybe ten or fifteen minutes. These curves have to be taken at ten miles an hour or slower." She nodded and Chris turned his full attention back to his driving. Dani kept her eyes tightly shut. She didn't open them again until Chris told her they were safely back on level ground. She opened her eyes slowly and looked around. Then she glanced at Chris sheepishly.

"I'm sorry. You must think I'm a total wimp."

Chris reached for her hand. "I don't think any such thing. People can't help having phobias." She still looked embarrassed, so Chris continued. "Did you know that your mom had a fear of heights, too?"

"She...she did? She never told me that."

"Yeah. I remember one year a whole group of us went to one of those amusement parks. I could not get her anywhere near the roller coasters. She couldn't stand them. Some of our classmates used to tease her about it. I know it hurt her, but she said she'd rather have her feelings hurt than be so scared she couldn't enjoy herself. She said that amusement parks were for fun, and being scared to death wasn't fun for her."

"Yeah, I know how she feels. Some of my friends have done the same to me." Dani looked down, her hands clasped in her lap.

Chris pulled over into a lot and stopped the car. He turned in his seat and looked Dani right in the eye. "Angel, kids can be cruel and unfeeling sometimes. But don't let anyone ever talk you into doing something if you're scared. Your mom was right, it's not fun if you're too scared."

"Yeah. Thanks, Chris."

"Not a problem, Angel. Not a problem." As he pulled back out of the lot, he saw a sign taped up to a pole. "Hey, Dani, did your mom ever take you to any of the Renaissance Festivals in your area?"

"Oh, yeah, all the time. I love them. I even have my own costume back home."

Chris pointed out the sign. It read _'Valhalla Festival, Friday-Sunday. Eat, drink and be merry.' _"Want to go? I haven't been to one since high school, when I went with your mom, but I hear this one is pretty good."

"I'd love to go."

"We could either go tomorrow, just us, or we could go on Saturday and see if the others would like to join us."

"Saturday," she said with a smile.

"We'll ask the others later then," Chris said as he pulled back out onto the street to continue their drive.

"So you went with Mom?"

"Yeah, twice. The second time, she actually managed to talk me into going in costume."

"Really. She never could convince Dad...Michael...to dress up. He'd go, but only Mom and I would be in costume." Dani smiled sadly.

"Yeah, well, I probably wouldn't do it now, either. But they are a lot of fun. Especially if we get there in time to see the jousting tournaments."

Dani grinned mischievously. "You think any of the others might dress up?"

Chris glanced at Dani with an evil smile. "If you bat your eyelashes at Buck, he just might. And Casey could probably talk JD into it. But I doubt you'd get the others to dress up."

"I think it would be fun to see Buck and JD dressed up. It's too bad I don't have my own costume with me."

"Well, we could probably find a costume shop around that might have something for you to rent for the day."

"You think? That would be great."

"Well, then, what do you say we grab some lunch, and we can check the yellow pages and try and find a costume shop?"

"Yeah. I'm getting hungry."

/

**_Friday Morning_**

Chris and Dani left early. They made the four-hour drive to San Francisco with a lot of talking and laughter. Dani told Chris more stories about growing up with her mom and Michael. Chris found himself telling Dani stories about Sarah and Adam, and his time with the Marshals.

He didn't tell Dani about the hard years after their deaths, the drinking and fights. But Chris realized that he felt better talking about his wife and son. It was a bittersweet feeling, wanting to share the stories with Dani, but still angry that Dani had never had the opportunity to meet Sarah and Adam and vice versa. Sarah would have welcomed her into the family and would probably have been fast friends with Amy.

"Chris, could I ask you a favor?" Dani asked hesitantly.

"Sure."

"I...I hope you don't mind, but I was wondering if, before I left, could I..." she trailed off, not sure about what she wanted to ask.

"Dani, what is it?" Chris asked gently.

"Could...could I have a picture of Adam?"

Chris felt his heart clench. Then he smiled. "Sure, I have lots of photos of him. I'll let you pick out the one you want."

"Thanks," she said softly. "Some of my friends have brothers and sisters. Sometimes, I envy them. Now, I can show off my own little brother."

Getting into the city in time for lunch, they prowled around the world famous Fisherman's Wharf, stuffing themselves with chowder and shrimp. They poked around the stores. Dani bought more souvenirs for all her friends back in Ohio. Chris grinned, knowing how many gifts she'd already bought, just in Tahoe alone.

"Ya know, you're gonna need to buy another bag just to haul all this stuff back home. You must have bought something for everyone in the state of Ohio."

She smiled at the warm feeling his gentle teasing gave her. "I know, I know. My da...Michael, says the same thing."

Chris frowned. "Why did you do that?"

"Do what?" She looked confused.

"You started to say 'dad', then stop and called him by his name. You did it yesterday, too." Dani wouldn't look at him. Chris reached out and tipped up her chin, forcing her to meet his eyes. "You know, Angel, whether or not he had a hand in your creation, he has raised you as his own. He _is_ your dad. Don't be afraid to call him that in front of me. It doesn't bother me."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure, Angel."

She let out a sigh. "Thanks, Chris."

/

They got back into Tahoe in the early evening. Chris knew the guys would probably be at the Saloon having dinner. He and Dani had already made plans to meet them there if they returned in time. Chris was glad, because lunch was a long time ago, and he was starving. He glanced over at Dani, who had fallen asleep about an hour ago. He smiled. This beautiful, shy young woman was his daughter. Then he frowned. Amy's father was a bastard. How dare he keep him away from his daughter? Chris was going to have to check into some things. But Earl Flannery better stay out of Chris' way. The man was not getting between Chris and his daughter again. Chris shook his head. What was it about him and fathers-in-law? Sarah's father had never liked him either.

By the time he pulled into the parking lot at the Saloon, Chris' emotions were back under control and he smiled as he shook Dani awake. "Hey, Dani. Dani, wake up. We're here."

"Hmm?"

"We're here. Wake up if you want dinner."

Dani slowly opened her eyes. Looking down into her upturned face, he was startled by the color of her eyes. He knew her eyes were green, but he suddenly realized...they were his eyes. His daughter had his eyes. Adam had gotten his eyes from Chris, too. Not noticing Chris' reaction, Dani yawned and looked around. "Where are we?"

"At the Saloon. You ready for dinner?"

"Yeah, I could eat." She got out of the car and stretched. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to fade out on you."

Chris squeezed her shoulder. "Don't worry about it. It was a long drive. Besides, it was probably a good thing you fell asleep when you did. That portion of the drive is a little scary for someone afraid of heights."

"Yeah, maybe you're right. So, this is the place Vin's friend, Inez, owns?"

"Yep. This is the Saloon."

"You're sure there won't be a problem with me being in there? I am underage."

"No. It's a bar and grill, so having minors inside isn't a problem."

"What kind of food does she serve?"

"A little bit of everything. Do you like Mexican food?" Chris asked.

"Yes."

"Inez makes the best enchiladas I have ever had."

"Mmmm. That sounds good." Chris held the door and let Dani precede him into the restaurant. Once inside, he quickly found their friends. It wasn't hard. The moment they had stepped through the door, Buck had stood up from the table and started waving his arms.

"Yo, Chris. Over here," the man yelled across the room, pointing out two empty chairs at the table. Chris rolled his eyes.

"That's Buck for ya. The master of subtlety." Dani laughed at his sarcastic comment. They walked over and took the empty seats, putting Dani to Vin's left, and Chris next to her. Buck was next to Chris, and then it was Ezra, Josiah, Nathan, JD and finally, Casey sitting to Vin's right. The pair had barely sat down before Inez was at the table.

"Senor Chris, good evening," the pretty restaurant owner said. "Would you like your usual?"

"Evening, Inez. No, I think I'd rather have a Coke if I could."

"Certainly. And you, miss?" she asked Dani.

"Inez, I'd like to introduce you to my daughter, Dani," Chris said, the pride in his voice evident.

Inez smiled broadly. "Good evening, Senorita Dani. Welcome to the Saloon."

"Thank you."

"What can I get you to drink?" Inez asked.

"Do you have Dr. Pepper?"

"Si." Inez nodded. "Do you need a few minutes to look at the menu?"

"Actually, Chris told me you make the best enchiladas around. I think I'll have that."

"Muy bien. Would you like chicken or beef?"

"Chicken, please. With rice?"

"Si." Inez turned to Chris. "And you, Senor?"

"I think I'll have the same, Inez."

"I'll be right back with your drinks." The pretty woman walked away, oblivious to Buck's gaze following her.

"You're catching flies, Buck." JD muttered, nudging the man with his elbow.

"So, Dani, have you been having fun this week?" Nathan asked.

Dani beamed. "Oh, yeah. We've been doing all sorts of things. Today, we went down to San Francisco and visited Fisherman's Wharf, rode the trolley cars and saw the Golden Gate Bridge." Dani smiled shyly. "Chris even bought me some Ghirardelli chocolate. It's a weakness. I love chocolate."

"Who doesn't?" Vin asked, licking his lips. His fondness for the stuff was well known to his co-workers. He smiled at Inez as she brought back their drinks and once again returned to the bar.

"Have you had the opportunity to visit any of the local attractions?" Ezra asked.

"Let's see," Dani said, trying to remember everything. "Wednesday, Chris and I walked down to Vikingsholm Castle then took a lunch cruise around the lake and into Emerald Bay. Vin told me how different the color changes were, but they were even prettier than he said. Then on Thursday we drove up to Virginia City. And drove all the way around the lake, stopping at all the shops and stuff. And Tuesday Vin took me to the Ponderosa."

"Oh, I love the Ponderosa," Josiah said.

"My dad, Michael, back in Ohio, was a big fan of the show. So I took a bunch of pictures of the cabin and stuff to show him. And of course, I had to buy some souvenirs."

"When you went to Virginia City, did you go into the Bucket of Blood Saloon?" Buck asked.

"Yeah. In fact, we had lunch there. Isn't that a great name? I took a picture of the sign outside, just to show all my friends back home that there really is such a place."

"Well, it sounds like you've had a busy week. Are you planning to relax tomorrow?" JD said.

Dani shared a smile with Chris. "Actually, Chris and I planned to do something and wanted to know if you all would like to join us. We're going to the Valhalla Medieval Fair. We even rented a costume for me to wear."

Buck just grinned at his old friend. "And how about you, partner," he teased Chris. "You planning on dressing up in costume?"

Chris took a drink of his soda. "As a matter of fact, I am."

"You are?" Buck asked, his eyes widening.

"Yep. Dani helped me pick something out. We even thought about getting costumes for the rest of you, but they didn't have enough Jester outfits to go around." Chris smirked.

"Oh, very funny, Chris. So, what are you wearing?"

"You'll just have to show up tomorrow to see, won't you?" Chris said.

"Are you really wearing a costume, Chris?" Nathan asked.

"Yes, I'm really wearing a costume. It's nothing fancy, just a simple costume."

"Well, Dani, you certainly have accomplished something if you can get this guy to agree to that."

"She even found a costume for you, Buck, but I told her you'd probably be too chicken to wear it."

Buck looked at Chris with an injured expression. "Now, Chris, that was downright rude. I'd never refuse a request from a lady."

"Really, Buck?" Dani asked. "That's great. Because the lady at the costume shop is holding one on reserve for you until noon tomorrow." Dani stared at Buck with a hopeful expression on her face.

Buck glanced at Chris, not being deceived by his friend's oh-so-innocent look. He could hear the snickers from the others at the table. JD was among the loudest. But Buck just smiled at his new 'niece'. "I would be honored, my lady," he said, giving a half bow from his seat. "Just give me the name of the shop and I'll get my costume in the morning."

Dani dug into her purse and pulled out a business card and handed it to Buck. "You want to ask for Jean. She's the one we talked to."

"So, how about the rest of you?" Chris asked. "Anyone up for a day of medieval fun?"

"Rain's working tomorrow, but I think I can make it," Nathan said. "But I'm not dressing up. Sorry."

"Same goes for me," Josiah said. "But I would love to join you."

"I'll go," Casey said. "I have my own costume, too."

"Well, I'm not wearing no costume," JD said emphatically, "but I'll go, too."

"Well, you may rely on me to be there. I would thoroughly enjoy the outing," Ezra remarked.

"Vin, what about you?" Dani asked.

He nodded. "I'll be there."

"Inez is welcome to come, too."

"Come where?" Inez asked as she started to bring out their dinners. She set down plates in front of Vin, JD and Josiah.

"To the Valhalla fair, tomorrow," Dani answered. "We're all going. Would you join us?"

"I'm afraid I can't join you, but I will see you there," she told them.

"What do you mean?" Nathan asked.

"I'm one of the vendors," Inez said. "I'll be there all day, selling food."

"Cool," was JD's remark. "Will you be in costume, Inez?"

"Si. All the vendors will be. Now, I will be right back with the rest of the food."

Dinner passed by with a lot of laughter and conversation as Chris teammates got to know his daughter. Once dinner was finished, the jukebox in the corner was plugged in and couples started drifting slowly to the floor. JD stood and held out a hand to Casey and they headed out to the small area set aside for dancing. The others gathered at the table watched them with curiosity.

"Not quite as good as you and Vin, pard. But he's not doing badly," Buck remarked on JD's talents on dance floor. "But you sure surprised Jules with your moves."

"Who's Jules?" Dani asked.

"A lady I've been seeing," Chris answered. "Her name is Jules Greywolf. She's a K-9 handler for one of the Search and Rescue teams."

"Oh." Dani wasn't sure how she felt about that. It was one thing to know that Chris had been married in the past. But she had just found Chris and wasn't sure she wanted to share him with a girlfriend just yet. "Are you going to invite her to go tomorrow?"

Chris shook his head. "No, she's not in town right now. Her sister in Vegas just had a baby, so Jules went down to visit. She's due back on Sunday morning."

"Is she coming to the barbecue?"

"I haven't asked her," Chris said. "Would you like me to invite her?"

Dani thought for a moment, then nodded. She would have to meet this woman eventually. Best to do it now. Her mom had always told her it was easiest to just get things over with. "Yes. I'd like to meet her."

"Okay." The table got quiet as they watched the dancers. Chris and Dani both tried to stifle yawns. "Sorry," Dani said, covering her mouth. "It's been a long day."

"For me, too," Chris said. "You about ready to head home?" Dani nodded. "Okay. Listen, guys. Why don't we all just meet at the front entrance of the fair around one o'clock tomorrow."

Everyone nodded in agreement. "See you all then." A chorus of farewells followed father and daughter out the door.

/


	4. Chapter 4

**_CHAPTER FOUR_**

**_Saturday afternoon_**

Chris and Dani were already at the gate when Buck showed up. Dani was wearing an emerald green over-dress with a cream colored under-dress. In her hair was a delicate halo of silk flowers. Chris had on black slacks with black knee-high suede boots, a black gauzy shirt and a sword strapped around his lean waist.

Buck came striding up in his outfit, the one Dani had picked out. He was half-afraid when he arrived at the costume shop that Chris had encouraged Dani to pick out something truly outrageous. He would have worn it in any case. He wouldn't hurt Dani's feelings. But thankfully, the costume was very flattering. At least, it was if the three phone numbers he had gotten on the walk from the parking lot were any indication. He was whistling as he joined Chris and Dani. Taking Dani's hand, he gave a courtly bow and kissed her hand. "M'lady, you look radiant." Dani giggled and blushed.

Chris narrowed his gaze. "You look like the cat that just ate the canary. What's up?"

Buck put a hand on Chris' shoulder. "Your little girl has good taste, pard. This outfit does wonders for my handsome good looks." He adjusted the royal blue thigh-length tunic, worn over a pair of brown leather pants, brown boots and a white shirt. He had a brown belt wrapped around his waist over the blue tunic. Stuck in the belt was a jeweled dagger. Buck looked around, not spotting the familiar lanky form of the bounty hunter.

"Where's Vin?"

"Haven't seen him yet."

He looked at Chris. "He didn't come in with you and Dani?"

"He didn't come home last night."

"Was that planned?"

"Yeah. He stayed with Inez."

Buck just stared at Chris with a crestfallen expression. "With Inez?"

Chris smirked. "Your ears get plugged up? Yes, with Inez. She needed some help getting her booth ready this morning, so Vin stayed in town with her so that they could get here early and set up."

"Oh. Oh, well that's different, then. It's not like he was staying _with_ Inez, ya know what I mean?" Buck said in a low voice.

"Just keep telling yourself that, Mr. Wilmington," another voice broke in. "You might actually convince a stranger or two."

"Ezra, you look wonderful," Dani said. Ezra was dressed in an elegant blood red tunic trimmed in gold. It went down almost to his knees. He had on black pants, brown knee length boots and an ornate sword hanging in a sheath from his waist. Around his neck, he wore a gold-rimmed ruby about the size of a half-dollar.

"Why, thank you, M'lady," Ezra said, give her a bow. "As do you." He gestured to Chris. "The knight escorting you will be busy keeping all the unworthy ruffians away from you." He frowned at Buck. "I see they have already started gathering."

Buck ignored the insult. "Woo-wee, Ez, that getup must have cost a pretty penny to rent."

Ezra glared at him. "Rent?" he scoffed. "Surely you don't think I would wear attire that had previously adorned the body of another person? In any event, you couldn't rent such a splendid outfit from a shop. I'll have you know that this 'get-up' is _mine_, Mr. Wilmington."

"You own your own costume?" Chris said.

Ezra brushed an imaginary bit of lint off of his tunic. "Indeed. I have always enjoyed attending these festivals. It seemed more feasible to purchase my own costume so that I might fully immerse myself in the spirit of the affair."

"I can't believe I let you talk me into this," JD was complaining as he and Casey joined them.

"Oh, chill out, JD. It's not like I picked out something pink and frilly for you," Casey said. She and JD were wearing matching outfits. Both had on brown pants, brown boots, white shirts and green tunics. JD had a short sword strapped around his waist, while Casey had a small dagger protruding from her boot.

"I feel weird. These pants are too tight," he said, pulling on the form-fitting pants.

"That's the whole idea, sweetie," a feminine voice intruded, much to JD's embarrassment. Her generous bust was almost spilling out of the tightly-laced corset she was wearing as part of her costume. "Ya got to show the ladies your attributes." She glanced around the group that had gathered, smiling at Buck as he eyed her cleavage. She grinned invitingly. "Well, hi there, Handsome." Then she slapped him on the butt. "Nice dagger."

Buck grinned, fingering the dagger stuck in his belt. "This old thing? It just came with the costume."

"Oh, that one's nice, too," she smirked. Buck just laughed. Chris and Ezra both rolled their eyes. JD snorted. Casey and Dani had wandered a little ways away and were missing most of this conversation.

"Well, darlin, that one is all natural. I'm Buck."

"Cecilia. Is Buck your name or your style?"

"Both," he replied, wiggling his eyebrows up and down suggestively. "So, darling, you come to these things a lot?"

"Every chance I get."

"Well, that's certainly a fetching outfit," the ladies' man told her. He eyed it a little close, noticing a pin on the corset. "What's that for?"

"It identifies me as a Lusty Wench," she quipped.

Buck was intrigued. "Lusty wenches are my favorite kind."

"Are they? Have you met any others of the group?"

Buck's eyes just about bugged out of his head at this information. "There's a group of you?" he asked in awe. "When do you meet and how can I join?" he asked flirtatiously.

"There's about twenty-five of us in the Tahoe area. We come to any of the festivals within driving distance. I know there's supposed to be quite a few of us around here today."

"So what do you Lusty Wenches do?" JD asked in spite of himself. He had to admit he was curious. It didn't escape the woman's notice that JD's eyes strayed to her cleavage and she saw the flush rise up in his cheeks.

"We just attend festivals and have a good time. Most of us have been fans of the Renaissance for years and decided to form a group. Since most of us tend to costume ourselves as bar wenches, the 'Lusty Wenches' were born. That was six years ago, and we have members all over the US and Canada now. We're about two thousand strong. When members attend festivals outside their home state, they usually contact local members and we get together. I've met some really great people from all over the place."

"That sounds real hospitable of you," Buck stated, trying out one of the words that he had heard Ezra use a few days ago.

"Well, we try."

"So what do you do outside of going to festivals?" Buck was in full flirtation mode now, and was having a ball.

"I'm an accountant? And you?"

"I'm a cop," Buck said proudly.

"A cop, huh? Tahoe PD?"

"I used to be, but I just recently signed as a fed with the Cross State Enforcement Team."

"That's the new team that was formed after that bank robbery/hostage situation, wasn't it? That was a terrible situation. I remember reading about a new federal team being formed."

"Yeah, that was a bad call. I was there. But with this new team, something like that won't happen again. I'm tickled pink to be on the team."

"Impressive. When you worked at Tahoe PD, did you know Mitchell Dravus?"

"Yeah, I know Mitch. DUI squad, right?"

"Yes, he's my ex-fiancé."

Buck shook his head in mock sorrow. "And he let you get away? I always knew that boy was a few sandwiches short of a picnic."

"What a sweet thing to say," she said, grinning up at him.

"Well, Mitch's loss is my gain. I hope." He winked at her.

She studied him for a moment, then pulled out a piece of paper and quickly wrote on it. "Here's my name and number. Hopefully, I'll see you inside, but if not, give me a call sometime."

Buck took the paper but kept a hold of her hand. He leaned down and kissed it. "Count on it, lovely lady. I'll make it a point to find you." She giggled and walked away. Buck took the paper she'd given him and opened the pouch he was wearing at his waist. "Now that is a mighty fine figure of a woman," he said as he pulled out the other phone numbers he had received. "She and I are gonna make beautiful music together."

"Well, I see Buck's modesty is showing again, brothers" Josiah said, he and Nathan joining the group. Both men were dressed in normal clothes, neither of them having dressed up for the fair.

"Laugh if you must. But that makes four phone numbers I've gotten today and we aren't even inside yet. This is gonna be a great day," he said, fingering his mustache.

"Well, let's go inside before Buck scares everyone off," Chris suggested. Chris paid his and Dani's entrance fees, and waited for the others while studying the map that had been provided. "So, where to first?" Chris asked once they were gathered around.

"Food," Casey and Dani chorused.

"Sounds good to me," JD echoed. "I'm starving."

"Me, too." "And me," came the voices of the others.

"Food it is," Chris said studying the map again, then turned to the left and led the way.

/

It didn't take them long to find the stands selling everything from turkey legs to cotton candy to funnel cake. The smells wafting from various stands were making everyone's mouths water. Chris glanced around trying to decide what he wanted to try first. That was when he heard a familiar voice.

"Ouch. Damn."

"What's wrong?" came the accented feminine voice.

"Just turned the wrong way, 'Nez. I'm okay," Vin said from behind the stall selling turkey legs.

"No, you're not. Now be still for a moment," she replied. Then Chris heard a relieved groan coming from his friend.

"Oh, yeah, right there." Chris heard a strangled sound from next to him and turned to see Buck's eyes widen in recognition as the Texan continued. "You've got magic hands, 'Nez."

"It's not like I haven't done this many times before. Besides, you did the same for me last night." Soft chuckles were heard from both.

The pair came around the corner and came face-to-face with Buck and Chris. "Hey, Cowboy. Buck." Vin greeted the pair. He was dressed similarly to Chris. He wore brown pants tucked into brown knee-high leather boots and a blue shirt under a brown tunic. He had a sword strapped to his waist and brown leather bracers wrapped around his wrists. Chris knew from reading that in medieval days, warriors had worn the bracers to support their wrists from holding the weight of their swords.

"Good day, my lords," Inez said in the old fashioned English used by many of the workers at the festivals. Like Vin, she was dressed simply and with a thought toward being around a hot stove all day. Her white peasant blouse had fitted sleeves, so that she wouldn't catch them on fire while tending to the food. Over it, she wore a black leather corset that tied up the sides. Her skirt was a dark blue color and she wore black sandals on her feet that laced up around her ankles.

"Good day, Inez." Chris said. Buck just nodded, having been seemingly rendered speechless by Inez's appearance.

"Would either of you like a turkey leg or some corn?"

"Sure," Chris said. He looked over at Buck, who just nodded, his mouth open in shock. Inez hurried off to fetch their food, leaving the three men standing to the side, Buck following her with his eyes.

"You okay, Vin?" Chris asked. "I heard you say 'ouch." Buck blinked, drawn out of his daze by the question.

"It's nothing, Chris. I just slept wrong last night. Inez, she knows what to do."

Chris could see the momentary look of jealousy flash against Buck face, before the man nudged Vin in the side. "Slept on a lumpy old couch, huh?" he teased, digging for information.

Vin looked confused. "What couch?"

Buck shook his head. "Never mind," he said, looking wistfully toward where Inez had disappeared.

Vin shrugged his shoulders. "You're weird sometimes, Bucklin."

"But the ladies love me." Vin just snorted. Chris narrowed his gaze and focused on the younger man. Ezra might be the gambler of their group, but Vin had a poker face just as unreadable. He knew Buck was unsure of the full extent of Vin's relationship with the pretty Hispanic woman, which was behind Buck's less-than-subtle attempts at ferreting out information. Even Chris wasn't sure how intimate the pair had become, but knew that both Vin and Inez were discreet people. Even if they were lovers, neither would give any indication of that in public. They both would feel that it was nobody else's business. And they were right.

And it was driving Buck crazy.

Chris had to smile at Buck's exasperation as Vin strode off toward the front of the food booth. It was good to see Buck so off-balance. Considering what his old friend had done to embarrass him while he had been courting Sarah, Chris decided to sit back and enjoy the show. Payback was _so_ much fun.

/

After everyone had stuffed their faces, they decided to walk around the 'village' and look in all the shops. Vin joined them, telling Inez he'd be back later to help out. She shooed him on his way, telling him to have fun. Dani had wanted to poke around to see all the wares for sale. Since they had an hour to go before the jousting and sword demonstrations, which is what Chris was looking forward to, the men laughed and followed along behind Dani and Casey.

Chris noticed several things that caught Dani's eye. He overheard her mention to Casey how one necklace in particular reminded her of the dragon that was the hero of her mother's books. Chris could hear the sadness in Dani's voice as she told Casey about the children's books her mother had written. 'Dudley the Dragon' was popular with children of all ages, and Dani had grown up with tales of Dudley's adventures.

Once the women moved on, Chris went over to look at the necklace. It was a pewter dragon, his wings outstretched. Clutched in his claws was a bright green stone. It was anchored on either side with a slim silver chain. Looking at the price, Chris dug out his wallet. He had a lot of birthdays and Christmases to make up for. He glanced over and saw Vin nodding at him. He smiled, paid the woman manning the booth, and put the necklace into his pocket.

"Hey, has anybody seen Buck?" JD asked.

They looked around. They started to backtrack when they heard Buck's booming laughter coming from one of the nearby booths. There, surrounded by several smiling ladies, was Buck. With her arms around his waist was the lady that Buck had been flirting with at the front gate. She was introducing Buck to her friends, and Buck was lapping it up.

"Oh, boy. You all realize that we're gonna have to listen to him brag about this for weeks, don't you?" Chris stated as he watched Buck tuck several more slips of paper into the now bulging pouch hanging from his belt. With a gallant bow, he left the ladies giggling in his wake and walked over to join his friends, a knowing smirk on his face.

"Sorry about the delay, boys, but they just can't get enough of me."

"Gee, Nathan, maybe you should warn the authorities. Seems the women around here have some serious mental health issues," JD remarked.

"That hurt, JD. But because I know it's just a sign of your jealousy, I'll be gracious and forgive you. Now take off that stupid hat."

JD touched the brim of his new cap, perched at an angle on his head with the feather sticking out of the back. "I like my hat, Buck. Robin Hood wore a hat like this."

"Well, you're not Robin Hood. We're did you get that silly thing, anyway?"

"I bought it for him."

Buck took a deep breath and turned around to face an indignant Casey. "Now, darlin, you know I didn't really mean it was a stupid hat. As a matter of fact, I love that hat. It looks good on JD." The others tried to stifle their laughter as Buck attempted to placate Casey.

"I know it does, that's why I bought it. And how many times have I told you, my name is not 'darlin', Buckey."

The others snorted at that little dig. It was a common knowledge around the office that Buck's real first name was Bucklin. But whenever Casey wanted to get his goat, she always called him Buckey. Buck hated it and she knew it. He started to say something, but Casey just walked off. Buck turned around and glared at his companions, but it had no effect, except to make them laugh all the more.

"You all are just jealous. But I've got a lot of ladies that adore me. All these phone numbers..." he trailed off in horror as he realized that the pouch containing all the phone numbers he'd received was missing. "Oh, my god. Where is it? Where did it go?" He frantically patted his torso, trying to remember if he had done something with it. He turned around in circle, trying to see if he had dropped in on the ground.

"Where did you last see it, Buck?" JD asked.

"It was on my belt just a few minutes ago. I put in some numbers I'd gotten from those wench friends of Cecilia's. It was right here."

"C'mon, Buck. In spite of your insults about my hat, I'll help you find it. Let's backtrack." He and Buck walked away, eyes scanning the ground, while Josiah and Nathan perused the items available in the apothecary store. Dani and Casey were several booths away, watching a customer get a Tarot card reading. Vin and Chris exchanged a look and turned to Ezra.

"So, Ez, you gonna tell Buck that you've got his pouch?" Vin asked. Chris just raised an eyebrow.

Ezra sighed. "Mr. Wilmington will eventually find his pouch. Probably right where he least expects it."

"Why did you lift it?" Chris asked.

"I simply wanted to let Mr. Wilmington avail himself of the opportunity to become acquainted with some...friends of mine."

"Whose phone numbers did you add, Ez?" Vin said, figuring that Ezra had something really devious in mind.

"Some acquaintances of mine that frequent the Blue Rose Cafe." Vin busted out with a shout of laughter while Ezra smiled. Chris looked on in confusion.

"Somebody mind explaining?"

"Forgive me, Mr. Larabee. The Blue Rose Cafe is well known in Tahoe for catering to a specific clientele."

"What sort of clientele?" Chris growled.

Ezra cleared his throat. "Drag Queens."

"Drag Queens?" Chris repeated.

"Yes. Most of them are very nice people. And unless you know them or they tell you, it's very difficult to ascertain that they are, in fact, biologically of the male gender."

"And you added their phone numbers to Buck's stash?" Chris wanted to make sure he had this straight.

"Yes."

Chris didn't say anything for several long seconds. Ezra started to look concerned, until Chris let out a soft snort of laughter. Then another. And another. "You are one devious son of a bitch, Standish." Chris finally managed to gasp. "I'm gonna have to keep my eye on you."

Ezra performed a mock bow at Chris' backhanded compliment. Chris shook his head as he went to join his daughter.

/

They got to the arena surrounding the sword demonstrations and found seats. JD and Buck had rejoined them after finding Buck's pouch mysteriously hanging from the branch of a tree outside the Lusty Wenches' tent. The two men settled onto the ground by their friends and turned their attention to the arena.

The instructor was inviting the spectators to enter the ring and pit themselves against him. Everyone would be fighting with unsharpened blades to prevent injuries. The group watched several opponents enter the ring and be quickly defeated. Chris was shaking his head at the inept moves of the last participant and caught the attention of the instructor.

"Would you care to try your hand, good sir?" the instructor asked him.

"Me?" Chris shrugged. "Why not?" He stood up and removed his sword and handed it to Vin. Entering the ring, he picked up the practice sword and approached the center.

"Your name, Sir Knight?" he was asked.

"Chris Larabee."

The instructor turned to the crowd. "Lords and Ladies, a round of applause for Sir Christopher of Larabee." The crowd cheered, whistles and catcalls coming from Chris' friends.

"En garde," the instructor began. For the next several minutes, Chris traded blows with the man. They both thrust and parried, neither man getting close to taping out the other. Finally, the instructor bowed to Chris and lowered his sword.

"Very impressive, Sir Christopher. You fight well."

"Thanks. It's been a while."

"Lords and Ladies, I declare this contest a draw. Give cheers for Sir Christopher of Larabee." Chris bowed to the crowd and made his way back to his friends.

"That was great, Chris," Dani jumped up as Chris approached and hugged him. "How cool."

"Were did you learn to spar like that, Chris?" Vin asked.

Chris shrugged. "A friend of mine in the Marshals was a member of the SCA." Seeing JD's confused look, he explained. "It stands for the Society of Creative Anachronism. They're an international group that are into researching and recreating medieval European history. He showed me how to fight. It was a way to keep in shape. It's been a while since I've done it, though. I wasn't sure I'd remember."

"Well, you did good, pard," Buck slapped him on the shoulder. "Good thing you remembered, so you didn't embarrass us."

"Well, glad I could help, Buck," Chris said sarcastically. "We couldn't have you embarrassed, after all."

"That's right, pard. I do have a reputation to protect. Ladies to impress and all." Buck grinned.

"One of these days, Buck, I'm gonna shoot you."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Buck just laughed.

/

During their trek through the village, they came to the archery booth. The man manning the booth was trying to tempt the guests into trying their skills.

"Vin, can you shoot a bow and arrow?" Dani asked.

"Yeah," Vin said reluctantly.

"Would you try? I'd love to see you shoot." She smiled. "Please?"

Vin gazed at Dani, then turned to Chris. "Your daughter's dangerous, Cowboy. She asks so sweetly and bats her eyelashes, and you're a goner."

"Yeah. What do you want me to do about it?"

"Nothing to do. I just wanted to state a fact."

"Noted."

Vin picked up the bow and a quiver of arrows. The worker asked his name.

"Vin Tanner."

"Lords and Ladies," he called out in a loud voice, "gather around to see amazing feats of skill. Watch as Sir Vin of Tanner attempts to make a bull's-eye."

Vin took a deep breath as he notched the first arrow. Sighting down the arrow, he let out half the breath and let the arrow fly. It landed dead in the center of the target.

"Hooray," the crowd yelled. Vin notched the second arrow. Again a bull's-eye. He did this five times in a row, much to the delight of the crowd. With each rising cheer, Vin became more and more uncomfortable with the attention. Finally, after the sixth bull's-eye, he handed back the bow to the worker.

"Well done, Sir Vin. Good show."

Vin ducked his head. "Thanks," he said softly. Turning to Dani, who was wearing a huge smile, he muttered under his breath, "Very dangerous."

/

As they headed back to the entrance, Vin stopped. "Well, this is where I say good bye. I need to get back and help Inez."

Dani smiled at him. "Thanks, Vin. I had a really good time today. Especially the archery."

"I'm glad," Vin said. "I'll see you back at Chris' later then." She nodded. Vin walked off with a wave to everyone.

Dani turned to the rest of the group. "You're all coming to the barbeque tomorrow, right?" Everyone nodded their assents. "Great. Thanks for coming today, everyone. I really enjoyed it."

"Hel...uh, heck, darlin, I had fun, too," Buck said. With waves and nods, the others headed off to their own vehicles.

Dani took the arm that Chris offered as they walked back to Chris' truck. "So, have you talked to Jules yet?" she asked him.

"Not yet. I'll have to give her a call in the morning. I don't have number for her in Nevada. She should be home before noon."

"I'd like to meet her. I hope she can come tomorrow."

"Yeah, me too."


	5. Chapter 5

**_CHAPTER FIVE _**

**_Sunday afternoon_**

Dani McCarter sat on the lounge chair on the back deck of Chris' house. She had been sitting here for fifteen minutes just watching the others talk and laugh together. All six of her father's friends were there, as well as Casey, Rain, Jules and Inez.

She was still a bit overwhelmed by this group of men. Except for Chris and Vin, she'd only seen the others a couple of times over the last week. While on their shopping trip, Casey had given her a rundown on the men on the team, but the only one she'd had the chance to really talk to, aside from her father, was Vin.

But she did hope to get to know them all better, particularly Buck, who had known her father the longest, according to Casey. And JD, who was more her age, and shared her interests in computers and music. Casey talked a lot about the youngest team member, and it was easy to see that she was attracted to him. Nathan and Josiah didn't really talk to her much, but seemed nice enough.

And Ezra? Well, she really liked Ezra. He was smart and elegant. And he promised to take Dani to a casino the next time she came to visit. She really wanted to see what that was like. She'd often seen movies about Las Vegas and all the lights and glitter. She couldn't wait to see a casino in person. She knew she was too young to gamble, but figured it would be fun just to be inside one and see all that went on.

And Ezra was so smart. Her English teacher would love all the big words he used to describe things. His speech was so colorful it made her laugh. Especially when he was trying to insult Buck, because it always took Buck a few seconds to realize he'd _been_ insulted, much to the delight of JD. Buck would then chase JD around, while the others laughed at the antics of the two men.

Her gaze stopped on Vin. He had quickly become the older brother she never had. She knew just by spending time with them that he and Chris were very close. And she found herself talking to him a lot about both her fathers. Her worries about Michael's health and her anxiousness about Chris' continued acceptance wore heavy on her mind and the quiet Texan was a good listener. He didn't always offer advice, which was fine, but she found that just talking about her concerns seemed to lighten the load a bit.

She was torn. She was really enjoying getting to know Chris and his friends. On the other hand, she desperately wanted to return home to Ohio. She was so worried about her father. When she'd talked to him on the phone that morning, he'd sounded so tired.

"Are you okay, Dani?"

Dani raised her eyes to find Jules standing next to her chair. She hadn't had the chance to really talk to this woman that Chris was dating. She seemed nice enough, but Dani wasn't sure how she was supposed to act around her.

"Ah, yes, I'm fine. I guess I'm just anxious to get home."

"Understandable. Can I sit?" Jules asked, indicating the chair next to Dani.

"Sure." Danielle shifted to lie on her side in the lounge chair, so she could see Jules better as the dark haired woman sat down.

"It sure is pretty here," Jules commented. "Chris was lucky to find this place."

Dani just nodded. Jules recognized her nervousness and just smiled, trying to make the young woman more at ease.

"How long have you know Chris?" Dani asked.

"Not long. A few months maybe. We met during a search and rescue operation."

Danielle nodded. "Yeah, he told me. He said that you train dogs for tracking people when they get lost."

"Yes. I also help the local police when they're tracking suspects into the woods. They have K-9 units, but in area like this, where there is so much wilderness, sometimes Deoge—that's my canine partner—well, sometimes he can do a better job, since he's had more practice tracking in the forests. The police K-9s handle the drug cases and some suspect tracking, but Deoge often handles any tracks in the wooded areas. Although, I've also been doing some training with their K-9 dogs to get them more used to working in the trees and mountains."

"Do you like your job?"

"Very much. I love working with Deoge and training others to work with their dogs. And I love being outdoors. I could never handle having a job that kept me inside all the time. I'd go crazy."

"You're very pretty."

Jules smiled at the complete change in subject. "Well, thank you. I guess I have good genes. You must as well. I know you do on your father's side. And he tells me you look just like your mother, so I guess you got lucky there too."

Dani blushed. "My father—Michael, my father in Ohio—he always tells me that the Flannery women were all blessed with beautiful looks. I always just figured he was biased. I mean, I know I'm not ugly, but I never really thought of myself as beautiful."

"Well, you should. And if you look that much like your mother, I'm not surprised that Chris fell in love with her."

"He told you that?" Dani asked, sitting up.

"He told me a little bit about her when I talked to him yesterday. He said your mom was the first woman he ever loved...and lost."

"They were high school sweethearts," Dani explained, as she pulled her feet underneath her and wrapped her arms around her knees.

"You never forget your first love, no matter what else happens in life. And now he has you to remind him even more."

Danielle gazed up at the beautiful Indian woman across from her. "Are you and Chris...are you in love?"

Jules leaned back and folded her hands in her lap. She saw Chris in the corral with Vin and Buck, JD standing on the bottom rail of the fence and resting his arms across the top. Chris looked up at something Vin said, the sun shining off his blond hair, and the smile blossoming across his face. When JD nearly fell off the fence laughing at the flummoxed look on Buck's face, it was obvious who the target of Tanner's comment had been.

Jules glanced over at Dani. "In love? No. I enjoy spending time with him. I find him extremely attractive. Hell, who wouldn't?" She smiled and glanced back at the blond man who had captured her attention on the mountain that day. "We have a lot of common interests. But we also enjoy teaching each other about new things. He is fun to be with. But I'm not in love with him."

Dani bit her lip and pushed a lock of hair behind her left ear. "It's okay, you know, if you are. I wouldn't mind."

"Well, I am glad of that. But neither of us are ready for that right now."

"But, maybe someday..."

"I don't worry about the future. The present is difficult enough without adding problems that may, or may not happen, tomorrow or next week or next year. Dani, I like your father. And he likes me. Right now, that's what we're dealing with. We share dinner a few times a month, we go dancing or riding, or just spent a quiet Sunday together or with friends. At the moment, I like it that way. If that changes in the future, then it does. We both are open to date others if we want, we don't have any kind of commitment to each other."

"So, you're just good friends," Dani teased.

Jules laughed. "Yeah, at the moment. Is that okay?"

"Yeah...at the moment." Danielle smiled back at this woman her father was seeing. She could understand his attraction to her. She was beautiful, intelligent, strong-willed and friendly. And Dani liked her a lot.

A shout brought her attention back to the yard. She looked up to find Casey chasing after JD, trying to retrieve the camera she'd be following everyone around with all day. It seemed that Casey hated having her picture taken, so always opted to take all the photos herself. Dani didn't mind, Casey had promised to give her a set of the photographs so that she could show her father all the people she'd met here.

JD and Buck had taken it upon themselves to get a few snapshots of Casey as well. It seemed their way of getting those shots was to snag the camera from her. She shook her head.

"It would have just been easier for them to use a different camera," Inez said as she walked up and sat down on the deck. "Now, if they use that camera to try to get pictures of Casey, she will only be pouting and yelling in every shot. Men! What do they understand of all this?"

"Oh, I don't know," Jules said. "I think Chris and Vin have it all in hand." The other two women followed Jules' gazed to see Tanner and Larabee back up on the deck. Chris had his own camera in hand, snapping shot after shot of the three 'children' running around the yard.

"Oh, great shot!" Chris exclaimed, as he took more shots of Buck and JD slamming into each other in their effort to avoid Casey. Buck, being the bigger of the two men, toppled over on top of JD. Dunne was bellowing for his friend to "get up, you're crushing me, you big ape! Geez, Buck, you need to lose some weight."

"Now, JD, I'm just the right weight for my height," Wilmington said, as he pushed off the ground, only to slide in the wet mud and fall back onto Dunne.

"Oomph!"

"Sorry, kid, I keep slippin'. Let me try something else." Buck than reached up with handful of mud slapped it against JD's face. "Oops, sorry kid," he said, chuckling.

By this time, Casey was heading toward the deck, her own camera rescued from the pair before they landed in the mud. From the relative safety of the deck, she continued to take more pictures of the slimy duo, until she heard another camera clicking. Turning around, she spotted Chris Larabee, a camera up to his eyes, pointed directly at her.

"Chris!" Larabee just smiled as he continued to take photos of the young woman. Casey handed her small camera to Rain, who was leaning against the deck railing watching Buck and JD wrestle around in the mud. Rain almost dropped the camera, but managed to get a good hold on it, thanks to Nathan who stood nearby. They both turned as a Wells tornado stormed toward her boss.

"Chris! You put that camera down!" Larabee continued to snap pictures as she got closer. When she reached up and grabbed the lens, he let her lower the camera. Casey glowered at him, but he just continued to grin. "I want that film," she declared.

Chris looked over at Vin. "It ain't worth getting in a fight over, cowboy," Vin reminded him.

Chris nodded and opened up the camera. He pulled out the strip of film inside and handed it over to Casey. She smiled smugly and walked back to Nathan and Rain, certain that she had won that round.

"Oh, the arrogance of youth."

Dani glanced up to find Ezra Standish shaking his head at Casey, then glancing back to Chris and Vin. The others followed his gaze, to see Chris handing a roll of film to his co-conspirator. Vin dropped it into a plastic film canister and walked inside, no doubt to hide it somewhere until he could have it developed.

Vin winked at the others as he walked by. Laughter followed him inside.

/

"So, darlin', you're leaving tomorrow?" Buck asked Dani, as he sat down next to her at the table, rubbing a towel around his head. They were sitting on the deck in back of Chris' house.

"Yes. I need to get back. I've been gone over two weeks and want to get home to see my dad. His health isn't good and I don't want to stay away too long."

"Well, I'm sorry to hear that. But, I'm glad we all had the chance to meet you. It's nice to see Chris being a daddy again."

"You knew Chris when his wife and son were alive didn't you?"

"Yes, darlin' I did. And I'll tell you what, he sure loved that little boy. It's a shame you didn't get a chance to know him when you were younger. You would have been the light of his life, just like Adam was. In fact, I can see already that you're gonna be the most important person in his life from now on."

"Hey, Angel." She turned to see her father walking toward them. She was secretly pleased at the nickname her father had bestowed on her. It made her feel special, like he really cared about her. Chris sat down at the table. "Buck isn't bending your ear too much there, is he?"

"Now, Chris, I'm just trying to get to know the little lady a bit better. After all, Uncle Buck has to know a young lady's interests if he wants to lavish presents on her during those special times of the year."

"Uncle Buck?" Chris asked, turned to wink at Dani. She giggled in response.

"Well, of course. She's part of the family now."

"Uncle Buck?!" And incredulous JD had wandered over toward the table as well. "Geez, Buck, give the poor girl a break. You'll have her running back to Ohio faster than...faster than..."

"Faster than a jackrabbit from a she-wolf," Vin supplied as he joined the group. JD nodded his thanks at Tanner. "Chris, I'm gonna bed down the horses. JD, why don't you give me a hand."

"Sure."

"Can I help?" Dani asked eagerly.

"Sure, darlin', come on."

"Be back in a bit," she told her father. He nodded and watched her walk toward the barn with the two men.

"So, Chris. How ya doin'?"

"I'm just fine, Buck." He knew his friend was worried about him.

"So, you're a dad again."

"Yeah," he said, smiling.

"How do you feel about that?"

"What do mean?" Chris asked, confused by the question.

Buck shrugged. "I know how hard it was for you after Adam and Sarah died. It won't be easy watching her leave tomorrow, knowing she's driving back to Ohio by herself."

"She's not."

"Not what, not leaving?"

"Not driving back alone."

"What? But I thought she drove out here by herself."

"She did. But she isn't driving back. She's gonna fly. She happened to mention to Vin that her car was starting to act up on her. He took a look at it and doesn't feel it's safe for her to drive it all the way back. So we're gonna put her on a plane and Vin's gonna do a complete check on her car while its here."

"Is she okay with that?"

"She didn't have much choice. The three of us kinda ganged up on her."

"Three?"

"Me, Vin and Michael, her father. I mentioned her car problems to Michael. He didn't think there was any way that she'd leave the car behind. It belonged to her mom. But I promised both of them that the car would be fixed and as soon as it was I'd get it back to her. And she listened closely to Vin when he told her everything that could go wrong on the trip back. I'm surprised she made it all the way out here."

"I'm surprised her father let her start the trip if it was in such bad shape."

"Not his fault. Vin said the worst problem probably happened during the trip. She said before she drove out here, she had only used it for short trips to school and such, so it hadn't done any long distance travel in a long time. But there's enough other smaller things wrong that neither of us are comfortable with her driving all the way back."

Buck looked back over toward the barn. "She seems to get along okay with Vin," he commented.

"Yeah, they're getting close," Chris agreed. "I think Vin's quiet nature appeals to her. He's helping her deal with getting to know me. She's still a bit conflicted about searching for me after all this time."

"Feels like she's betraying her father in Ohio?" Buck ventured.

"I imagine that's part of it, yeah. Probably still a bit apprehensive about if I'll continue to want her in my life, even though I've tried to reassure her."

"She'll come around, Chris. Just give it some time."

"Yeah, I know you're right. Anyway, we were able to convince her to let us buy her a plane ticket. Besides, Dani is really worried about her dad. By plane, she'll get back that much faster. Michael is going to have someone pick her up at the airport."

"He's pretty sick, huh."

"Dani thinks it's cancer, but her father hasn't talked to her about it. I imagine that might be one of the reasons he's okay with her finding me. He wants to be sure she'll have somewhere to turn if something happens to him, now that her mom is dead. I know I would if I was in his place."

"Well, she'll have all of us now, partner."

"Yeah, she will." Buck turned to his friend and smiled. Chris was glad that the man was still in his life. He knew that this whole thing had come up pretty quickly and Buck had been concerned that Chris wasn't dealing with it as well as everyone thought. But every time Chris looked at Dani, he couldn't help but smile. Like he was doing now.

And after reading some of Amy's journals, Chris knew that Dani's mom had done what she thought was best for her daughter…and for Chris. As much as he wished he could have been in Dani's life all along, he couldn't fault Amy for the way she handled the situation. And he couldn't change the past, no matter how hard he wished he could.

But he was determined to make the best of the future. He had loved Dani's mom, and knew that Amy had loved him. Only a bitter old man had kept them apart from each other. And he wasn't about to let that get in the way of his relationship with his daughter.

But if he had stayed with Amy, he wouldn't have met Sarah, and Adam would never have been born. And he wasn't sure he could live with the knowledge of never knowing them. From what he'd read in the journals, Michael McCarter had been a loving and wonderful husband and father, and Chris was grateful that Amy and Danielle had him in their lives. He couldn't wait to meet the man.

"Chris, you with me?" He glanced up into Buck's amused eyes.

"Sorry, Buck," he said, chagrined at letting his mind wander.

"No problem, pard. Just wanted to make sure you didn't get lost somewhere in never-never land." Buck looked over to where Vin, Dani and JD were still tending to the horses. "I think Vin will be good for her, Chris. With you and her father, well, you both are authority figures for her. But Vin can be just a friend. And he is closer to her age, so they maybe have a few more things in common."

"Yeah, maybe. I am glad he was here when she first came out to the house. Dani told me that she was really nervous and being able to talk to him helped calm her down."

"Well, pard if anyone can calm a nervous filly, it's Vin Tanner."

"She's not a horse, Buck!" Chris said with a frown.

Wilmington grinned. "Hell, Chris, females is females, no matter the species."

"Is that why that stray dog keeps following you around, Brother Buck?" Josiah asked as he joined them.

Chris laughed and Buck opened his mouth to respond, but was interrupted by Ezra.

"It's that animal magnetism. Although I do believe that the canine in question is male, which would mean…"

"Now, just a minute!" Buck cried.

"It would mean, that Buck is ambi-sextrous," Chris remarked with a smirk.

"Chris!" Buck turned to his oldest friend, his eyes widening as he noticed Nathan and the ladies smiling at him from behind the blonde's shoulder. Chris, of course, had known they were there, which was why he'd made the comment.

Nathan slapped Larabee on the shoulder. "That was good, Chris. Ambi-sextrous! Ha, that's funny."

Larabee's grin got bigger as Wilmington tried to explain to the ladies.

"Senor Buck," Inez crooned, moving close to the big man. "There is no need to explain. We have all heard about your appeal to the opposite sex." She ran her finger down his face, her fingernail caressing his jaw. "We just never knew that men were attracted to you as well."

Buck smiled. "Well, darlin', I always knew that you were attracted to me."

Inez started to frown and comment, then looked over Buck's shoulder. "Oh, Senor Buck, I am attracted, yes I am very attracted."

Buck grinned at the others then noticed that Inez wasn't looking at him, but at something behind him. He turned to see what had captured her attention.

"Hmmm, yes," she said softly, "I am very attracted." She waved at Vin, who smiled and waved back.

A booming laugh from Josiah pulled a frown from Wilmington. He then turned his attention back to Inez.

"Now, darlin', ol' Buck has more charm than that scrawny Texan."

"It's not just his charm, Senor. It's…everything. The whole…how you say…the whole package."

"And what a package," Jules remarked, which caused Chris to raise an eyebrow. She winked at him and he smiled, realizing that she was baiting Buck. He quickly glanced at his old friend, who was gaping at the beautiful woman perched on the arm of Chris' chair.

"I guess this means that Vin has a bit of that animal magnetism of his own," Rain stated. "Of course, I'm partial to tall, dark and handsome." She walked up behind Nathan and wrapped her arms around him. "But, I can see where women would be attracted to Vin. Those gorgeous blue eyes, that long luxurious hair…."

"That butt," Inez interrupted, still watching the man in question, who was chasing Danielle back to the house, followed by JD.

"I've got a butt!" Buck exclaimed loudly, just as the trio made their way back to the table. Silence followed his statement, a look of astonishment on JD's face.

Vin and Dani looked at each other and burst out laughing, the others joining in.

"Well, Buck, I'm happy to know that you have all your parts," JD remarked. "Is having a butt the same thing as being as ass?"

"JD!" Dunne looked at Chris, wondering why he was shouting. It took about two seconds for him to realize the meaning the rebuke.

"Oh! Sorry. Sorry, Chris. Ah, Dani forget I said that."

Danielle bit her lip to keep from saying anything, especially after Vin winked at her.

"Aw, hell, Cowboy, it ain't like she hasn't heard the word before. Hell, you say worse when you're cussin' at the horses."

The Larabee glare and growl had absolutely no effect on the longhaired young man who just smiled back at Chris. Larabee shook his head and sighed.

"Why me?" Chris lamented. "Why do I have to be surrounded by these clowns?"

"The joys of fatherhood in the midst of this eclectic group. I daresay, Mr. Larabee, it will be most interesting to see how long you continue to keep possession of your sanity," Ezra quipped.

"So, what got all this started anyway?" JD asked.

Buck grinned at Tanner. "The ladies were just admiring Vin's a..." Buck was stopped from continuing by a loud throat clearing. Glancing quickly at Chris, he grinned. "Ahem, they were admiring Vin's attributes."

Vin blushed. He turned to look at Inez and shook his head. "You started this, didn't you?"

She smiled demurely at him. "Now would I do that...cute butt?"

"I'll get you back for this woman. Someday, I will get you back for this." The others laughed as Inez jumped up and ran away, chased by Vin.

"Run, girl!" Rain yelled. "Don't make it too easy for him to catch you!"

"But don't make it too hard either!" added Jules.

The group settled down to watched the sun set. Chris moved to sit on the steps leading to the back yard. Dani joined him, sitting on the step below him. She leaned back against him and he wrapped his arms around her. He sure would miss her when she left, but they would definitely keep in touch. He was looking forward to getting to know her better.

He planned to travel to Ohio in the next month to visit with her and Michael. The other man had extended the invitation the first time they'd talked. McCarter had told Chris that he was welcome to visit anytime. The two men had spent nearly an hour talking on the phone that first night. Larabee had been impressed with the love he could tell the man had for his daughter. And he wanted to thank him in person for taking such good care of her and her mom.

It took a truly loving man to welcome another man's child into his life and treat her as his own. He hoped that Michael McCarter would get the chance to come to Tahoe as well, so that he would know that his daughter was safe and loved while she was here.

Shortly after the sun went down, the others decided to leave. Dani got up and walked them all to their cars. After everyone was gone, she went in to help Vin with the cleanup.

"Dani, I'll do this. It's your last night with Chris. Go spend some time with him."

She nodded, handing him a dirty glass and walked back outside to join her father on the deck.

/

**_CHAPTER FIVE_**

The next morning Vin made breakfast for the pair then helped Chris load up Dani's luggage. She had an afternoon flight out of Reno and Larabee would be dropping her off at the airport. Vin put her bag on the rear seat of the truck and closed the door. Then he turned to the girl who had so quickly come to mean so much to all of them.

"Dani, honey. It sure was nice meetin' you. I'm glad Chris has you in his life now. And I really enjoyed spending time with you."

Dani stepped closer and put her arms around Vin's neck. He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tight.

"I'm so glad I met you. Thank you for making this so easy. I can't believe everything turned out so well."

Giving her one final squeeze, Vin released her. He reached a hand up and wiped away a tear. "Now, darlin', don't cry. You'll be back." He leaned closer and whispered into her ear. "You're good for Chris. I haven't known him a real long time, but I've never seen him happier. Hell, that smile ain't left his face since he met you."

Dani grinned. "I'm glad. I can't wait to get back home and tell everyone about him. And about the rest of you. Nobody else knows that I came out here to find my father. I didn't want to say anything until I knew for sure that...well..."

"I understand. And I know Chris does too."

"That's right, Angel," Larabee said as he came around the front of the truck. "And in another month, I'll be able to meet them all." He wrapped an arm around Dani's shoulders and tucked her closer. "And I can't wait." She smiled and returned the embrace.

"I gotta go," Vin said. "You have a good trip and be sure to call when you get in."

"I will. Chris already made me promise to call. At least a dozen times," she said, exasperated.

"I just don't want you to forget," Chris told her.

"You got those pictures?" Vin asked.

"Yep. Right here," she said, tapping her shoulder bag.

"What pictures?"

"The ones from this week, from Ponderosa and San Francisco," Dani explained. "And the Renaissance Faire. Casey has a friend in town who developed them for me. I didn't want to have to wait until I got home. This way, the only ones I'll have to wait on are the ones from yesterday at the barbecue. We didn't want to give those to Casey since she doesn't know about the roll you took with her in them."

"I told Dani I'd send those along later, after I got them developed," Vin explained.

Chris nodded. "You ready to go, Angel?"

Looking up at Chris, Dani sighed. "Yes and no. I'm definitely ready to go home and see my Dad. But, I hate to leave. Talk about conflicting emotions."

"You can visit whenever you want. And I'll be in Ohio in just a few short weeks. I can't wait to meet Michael."

"He's looking forward to meeting you, too. In fact, he wants to meet all of you. I wish Vin and Buck and the others could come too."

"Maybe he can meet them later. The last time I talked to him, I invited him out to visit. If we all showed up in Ohio, I think we'd overwhelm him."

Dani laughed. "Yeah, probably, especially Buck and JD. He'd sure love to talk to Josiah though. And when I told him Ezra was once a professional poker player, Dad said he'd like to challenge him to a game, just to see how he'd do against a pro."

"Ezra would love it," Vin remarked.

"Maybe when your dad comes out, Ezra can take him to the casino and they can play there, get the whole atmosphere," Chris added.

"Oh, yes! That would be awesome!" Dani exclaimed.

"Well, I better run," Tanner said. "Course, I guess it won't matter if I'm late, since the boss is gonna be even later."

"I got Josiah spying for me," Chris teased.

"Figures. Dani, we'll see ya. You call now."

"I will. Thanks, Vin," she said, giving him another hug and a kiss on the cheek before he got into his jeep. He waved as he drove away.

"Well, what say we hit the road? We can grab some lunch in Reno before your flight takes off."

"Sounds good." She took one last look around before climbing into the truck. Chris got in beside her and they drove off.

/

Chris and Dani sat, quietly talking, waiting for her flight. Chris had called in a favor from a friend to be allowed to accompany Dani to her gate. They purchased some drinks and magazines for her to take on the plane with her before settling in the waiting area.

"Attention ladies and gentleman. We will now begin boarding for Flight number 2133 with non-stop service to Columbus, Ohio at gate number seven. Passengers with small children or who will need extra assistance will be boarded first. First class passengers may board at any time."

"Well, Angel, that's your flight," Chris said, while the overhead announcement finished. She had a seat toward the rear of the plane, so would be boarding in one of the first groups.

"I don't want to leave," she said softly.

He smiled. "I know. I don't want you to leave either. But you need to get back to Michael. He needs you right now. And you'll be back. Often, I hope."

She nodded, the tears welling up in her eyes. "As often as I can." She flung her arms around Chris' neck. "I was so scared when I came out here. I almost turned around a dozen times. But it was worth it. I'm so glad I met you, I only wish I'd done it sooner."

"Nothing we can do about what's past. But that doesn't mean we can't make up for lost time in the future. I will always be here for you, Dani. No matter what. You can call me about anything, anytime. I love you so much. Don't ever forget that." He hugged her tight, feeling tears in his own eyes at the thought of letting her go.

For several minutes they stood silently, hugging each other, totally unaware of the people around them. Finally, she loosened her grip.

"I think that's me," she said. Chris let her go, hearing the announcement about boarding again.

He placed his hands on either side of her face, his thumbs sweeping away her tears. She did the same for him.

"We're just a pair of crybabies," she joked.

"I am gonna miss you, girl."

"Like you said, I'll be back. And I'll call often." Her face turned serious. "But I do want to get back to Dad."

Chris took her hands in his. "Angel, you be sure to call me if you need help with anything. And you tell Michael the same thing. I will do whatever I can to help either one of you. He is family now, too. And don't either of you ever forget that."

She smiled. One of her greatest fears of finding her biological father had been the fear that Michael and Chris would hate each other or that one would resent the other. She was thrilled that they genuinely seemed to like each other. The two most important men in her life were getting along, even becoming friends. She couldn't wait for Chris to come to Ohio and meet Michael in person.

Dani took a deep breath. She leaned over and grabbed her bag from the floor and hefted it over her shoulder. Grabbing her ticket from the outside pocket, she checked it to be sure her boarding pass was still there.

"Well, they're calling my row," she said. She smiled and looked into Chris' eyes. "I will miss you so much, Chris. Thank you for welcoming into your home...and your heart. Mom always said you would. I guess she knew you pretty well."

"As well as anyone ever has. I love you, Angel." He hugged her again quickly and then watched as she turned and walked to the gate. "Don't forget to let us know when you get home," he called after her.

"I will, as soon as I walk in the door. Love you."

He smiled and waved as she walked down the gangway. His smiled faded as he lost sight of her, his heart already aching from her absence. He shoved his hands in his pockets and moved over to the glass window. He would stay there until the plane left, hoping to catch one last glimpse of her through the tiny windows of the plane.

Dani found her seat and settled in. She had a window seat, which had bothered her at first. But Chris and Vin had both assured her that all she had to do was close the window if her fear of heights got too bad. But they'd also told her that it wouldn't seem so bad inside the plane.

She reached into the small pocket on the seat in front of her and browsed through the magazines and instruction sheets there. Finding nothing of interest, she reached into her purse and pulled out the pictures from her week in Tahoe. She stopped at the one that Casey had taken of her and Chris sitting on the back deck of the house. It made her smile.

"You were right, Momma," she said softly. "He is a very special man. Thank you."

Dani pressed the picture against her heart and closed her eyes, the smile still on her face. She didn't even notice the plane leaving the gate. As it took off, she was reliving the fun they'd had at the Faire and the antics at the barbecue. Her time with Chris in San Francisco and on the lunch cruise around the lake were memories that she would always keep with her. And she looked forward to making more memories in the future.

She was glad she came, glad that Michael had finally convinced her to find Chris and talk to him, to let him know he had a daughter. Her thoughts turned to her father in Ohio. She knew that he was sick, but now at least she knew she wouldn't have to endure the unknown future alone.

/


End file.
